In 2023, interest will be piqued by bio-inspired robots.
Robots are now a reality; they are no longer merely science fiction. Most people utilize robotics without really realizing it; we use everything from robot vacuum cleaners to e-commerce bots to make everyday tasks at home and at work more convenient and effective.
It's also not that we don't find those robots fascinating. There is a lot to be thrilled about when you consider the technology that powers them and the advancements humanity has made to allow robotics to become a part of our culture.
Instead of discussing the routine robotics that we're all becoming accustomed to, we want to discuss the bio-inspired robots that are currently arousing interest and wonder. and presenting fresh perspectives on the direction of business and life.
Robots inspired by biology frequently have multiple applications.
The M4 (Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot) is a brand-new robot with four wheels that can roll, transform into rotors and fly, stand on just two wheels, and walk using two wheels as feet. Along with other motions, it can also tumble. It can examine its surroundings to determine which motions will help it move across the space the most efficiently.
M4 was created by a computer engineering team at Northeastern University in the US. Its potential applications range from exploring other planets to transferring injured people to medical facilities.
It is a very good illustration because the roboticists who design them are interested in biosensors, bioactuators, or biomaterials (such as eyes, muscles, or self-healing biopolymers) and locomotion systems. Bio-inspired robots frequently have several functions. And as a result of these pursuits, robots that can perform multiple tasks, just like people and animals, may be created.
More robots have recently come to our attention.
The RoboBee is a tiny flying robot that draws its design inspiration from bee biology. It uses artificial muscles manufactured from materials that contract in reaction to a voltage to simulate the (very complex) wing motion of bees and can hover as well as fly. Some models have underwater swimming abilities.
The Wyss Institute at Harvard describes RoboBees, which are about the size of a paper clip and less than one-tenth of a gram in weight. Agriculture (crop pollination), search and rescue operations, surveillance, and high-resolution environmental monitoring are examples of potential use cases.
And a new robotic arm that can contract, extend, bend, and twist like an octopus arm has been developed. The octopus-like system was built by assembling numerous different Kresling units with various magnetization directions, all of which were programmed in specific ways, according to Renee Zhao, one of the engineers working on the project at Stanford University. She said in a podcast with PNAS: "And now if we apply the external magnet field, which has a rotational profile, then we can open up the Kresling units one by one to achieve the stretching motion."
A new soft robotic caterpillar with intricate and delicate structures that was inspired by the way that natural caterpillars move and can crawl on a range of different surfaces also intrigues us. To "close the gap with their biological counterparts," the researchers propose that bio-inspired robotics should mimic the delicate nature of biological systems in both their hardware and software.
And in 2023, what will people think of robotics?
The way we interact with robots is evolving along with them. People's attitudes toward robots are complex, according to surveys, but there are some encouraging indicators that this is changing.
According to recent preschool research, kids would rather learn from a skilled robot than a helpless human. And a According to a Pew Research survey, 44% of adult participants think that by 2035, robotics and intelligent machines will be created so that people can easily control and monitor the majority of technologically assisted decision-making that is pertinent to their lives.
Robotics investments are increasing, with February 2023 seeing a total investment of USD $620 million, up from January 2023's $521 million. The use and functionality of robots, notably bio-inspired robots that mimic the procedures and components of biological systems, will only increase.