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
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