Servo - February 2009

AdaptivEnergy, the Joule-Thief evaluation kit is paired with a low power transmitter that operates on a few mA at 3V.

After working with the device, it was clear to me that by incorporating a future version of Joule-thief — or something like it — practical symbiotic robotics is a possibility. I can envision repair robots that traverse spaces within the inner hull of a submarine or submersible robot, constantly looking for and repairing leaks. Again, the parallels with white blood cells that scavenge our blood for dead and dying red blood cells, foreign bacteria, and other pathogens come to mind.

An energy scavenging device is a necessary but insufficient component of our internal maintenance robot. Next, we'll need to secure highly efficient drive systems, sensors, and lightweight platforms. Imagine a robot that, say, lives under the hood of your car, constantly monitoring and — if necessary — repairing wires, connectors, and cables. I'm obviously not talking about an ordinary carpet roamer, but a robot that must navigate significant obstacles while avoiding falling to the street or into the fan belt.

Obviously, it will take some engineering and a lot of creativity to devise a robotic platform at home in an irregular, moving environment, with enough power to perform real work. If you're up to the challenge, please write in and share your designs and thoughts with other readers. SV