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November 11, 2019 07:26 pm PST

Robot appendage "grows" like a plant

Inspired by the way plants grow, MIT researchers designed a flexible robot appendage that can work in tight spaces but is rigid enough to support heavy parts or twist tight screws. From MIT News:

The appendage design is inspired by the way plants grow, which involves the transport of nutrients, in a fluidized form, up to the plants tip. There, they are converted into solid material to produce, bit by bit, a supportive stem.

Likewise, the robot consists of a growing point, or gearbox, that pulls a loose chain of interlocking blocks into the box. Gears in the box then lock the chain units together and feed the chain out, unit by unit, as a rigid appendage...

The realization of the robot is totally different from a real plant, but it exhibits the same kind of functionality, at a certain abstract level, (mechanical engineer Harry) Asada says.

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Original Link: http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/jw-9m-KJ0D0/robot-appendage-grows-like.html

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