bots IN BRIEF
Image courtesy of Toshiba.
WALKING THE QUAD
Robots played a key role in
assessing damage and radiation levels at
the Fukushima nuclear power plant
which was crippled by the massive
earthquake and tsunami that struck
Japan more than a year ago. All the
robots that were used relied on tracks
to navigate inside the reactors, in
addition to aerial vehicles that were
implemented to observe the site from
above. None of the robots had legs.
Toshiba is about to change that. The
company announced recently that it
plans to send a quadruped robot to the
disaster site.
The remote-controlled, radiation-resistant quadruped has multiple
cameras and carries a dosimeter. Its legs
are powered by electric motors (unlike
BigDog and HyQ — two quadrupeds
that use hydraulics).
One news outlet said the robot
resembled a "headless dog." Another
described the robot as "an ice cooler
on wobbly metal legs." Either way, it's a
cool-looking machine. Unfortunately,
reports of the robot's first
demonstration were less impressive.
Apparently, the robot slowly climbed a
flight of just eight steps (taking about a
minute to go up each step) and at one
point, the robot stalled so Toshiba
engineers had to pick it up and
reboot it.
The company said the robot also
has "a folding arm that can release a
companion smaller robot," but details
about that capability are hard to find.
The Fukushima site and its
surroundings are still highly
contaminated, so it makes sense to send
in more robots, but does it make sense
to use a legged robot? From a research
point of view, testing a new platform in
a real environment could provide
valuable insight.
Here are some specs from Toshiba:
Weight: 65 kg
Size: 624 mm (L) x 587 mm (W) x
1,066 mm (H)
Power Source: Battery
Battery Time: Two hours
(continuous use)
Weight Capacity: 20 kg
Walking Speed: 1 km/h
Operation: Wireless remote control
24 SERVO 01.2013
PATTY CAKES
Momentum Machines is working on a robotic system — nicknamed
Patty — that can cook burgers and toast buns, then slide them down to a
compartment where veggies get sliced and placed on the burgers. It then
adds condiments and bags them.Apparently, the entire operation takes less
than 30 seconds, thereby leaving the human burger worker to join the ranks
of the unemployed. The five foot tall prototype is still a work in progress, so
it may be a while before a Pattyburger is actual competition.
