Meet the burrowing space robot that could explore the moons of Jupiter

[Judi Lynn]

Researchers were inspired by both the roots of plants and a burrowing sand octopus to develop a robot that NASA want to send into space.

By Amy Barrett

Published: 30th June, 2021 at 23:55

Robots have helped us explore the world, from the ocean’s depths to mountain peaks, and even into outer space. But while researchers have made robots that can swim, run and fly better than their biological counterparts, engineers have struggled to build a bot that can burrow as well as an animal.

To design a device that could navigate the subterranean world, researchers at the University of California and the Georgia Institute of Technology decided to take inspiration from nature.

Instead of using a mechanical drill to overcome the resistant forces in the ground, the team have built a flexible soft robot that works with physics, instead of against it.

The soft robot moves through a sandy terrain in several ways. To travel straight down, the robot acts like a plant’s root system, with a tip that extends to push surrounding material out of its way. The team can control the movements of the bot using ‘tendons’ on either side, and steering with these enable the robot to make sharp turns along tortuous paths.

More:
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/meet-the-burrowing-space-robot-that-could-explore-the-moons-of-jupiter/