SlothBot – a robot that blend with the nature
SlothBot is a slow-moving and energy-efficient robot that can hang in the trees to monitor animals, plants and the environment below. The robot by robotics engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has the ability to to take advantage of the low-energy lifestyle of real sloths.
Slow by Design
The solar-powered SlothBot demonstrates how being slow can be ideal for certain applications. Slow movements are used to follow the sunlight to keep the robot battery fully charged. The robot mostly sleep and send information at periodic intervals, in the same way NASA’s Mars Rovers is doing on the alien planet.
SlothBot robot moves along a cable strung between two large trees as it monitors temperature, weather, carbon dioxide levels, and other information in the Garden’s 30-acre midtown Atlanta forest.
“SlothBot could do some of our research remotely for long period of time, help us understand what’s happening with pollinators, interactions between plants and animals, and other phenomena that are difficult to observe otherwise.” said Emily Coffey, at Garden.
Inspiring youngers
“This new way of thinking about robots should trigger curiosity among the kids who will walk by it. Thanks to SlothBot, I’m hoping we will get an entirely new generation interested in what robotics can do to make the world better.” said Magnus Egerstedt, professor at the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
[Source GeorgiaTech]
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