Servo - July 2009

Robytes

a specific target by manipulating the strength and direction of a rotating magnetic field.

They currently swim at speeds up to one body length per second, but it should be possible to increase it to better than 100 m/sec, thus allowing them to swarm all over an E. coli which moves at about 30 m/sec. Quite a bit of refinement will be necessary before they can be dumped into humans, though, so don’t expect to have them scraping your clogged arteries anytime soon.

Aquabots Ensure Clean Water

A VR600 robot, ready to clean your pipes.

inspection. Both are remotely operated and fitted with camera and lighting equipment which provides a real-time view of the tank interiors. The big advantage here is that tanks can be cleaned and inspected without draining them so there is no service disruption, and they may help to keep clean water flowing from the Brits’ taps. Now if only someone could figure out a way to make cold beer flow in the U.K.

Robot Bartender

Cuts You Off

This month’s prototype least likely to be produced commercially is SOBEaR, billed as a robot friend for anyone who doesn’t know his own limits or has a problem with self-control.

The creation of Joe Saavedra, a “Parsons MFA Design and Technology candidate, class of 2010,” the little teddy’s pouring function is engaged via the “breathe and pour” button on his right foot. The catch is that you have to breathe into an alcohol sensor in his bowtie before he’ll get

SOBEaR, the “responsible robot bartender.”

to work, and your sobriety level is indicated on a scale of 1 to 6 via LEDs on his chest.

If the little vodka nazi deems you to be over the limit, you’ll likely end up with all cranberry juice and no booze. The obvious flaw is that if this bartender denies you another drink, you can just punch him in the face and take the bottle away. Pretty much like a real bartender, only less of a challenge. SV

They won’t fit into your arteries like the ABFs, but the U.K.’s Bristol Water ( www.bristolwater.co.uk) has been testing an underwater maintenance robot provided by the water-quality engineering firm Panton McLeod ( www.pantonmcleod . co.uk) for tank and pipe maintenance.

The VR600 robot is a relatively large, tracked machine that scoots along the floor of a service reservoir and scrubs away sediment and other impurities. It can also inspect the condition of the tanks, including checking walls and pipes for corrosion or damage. They are also trying out the ROV model — a smaller unit that moves around like a submarine and is used just for