4 ms·

A tiny robot with moves inspired by caterpillars and jellyfish

42 points by IntronExon 9y ago

petermcneeley 9y ago
Not a robot. However, definitely potential for a micro touchless manipulator . "The scientists use external magnetic fields to exert torque on magnetic particles embedded inside the soft elastomer body of the robot to change the robot's body shape and steer it around." https://phys.org/news/2018-01-nature-inspired-soft-millirobot-enclosed-spaces.html https://phys.org/news/2018-01-nature-inspired-soft-millirobo...
- bsmith 9y ago
  I came here to say it wasn't a robot, but you beat me to the punch. I wonder how small they could have made it if it were 100% self-contained.
- proee 9y ago
  It's a robot. Even better, it's wirelessly powered and wirelessly controlled.
  - mhb 9y ago
    Look at my crumpled paper robot! It goes wherever I direct it with puffs of air!
    - z3t4 9y ago
      Depends on if you are controlling it manually or automatically. If you could program the paper to move, I would have no problem you calling it a robot.
      - taneq 9y ago
        So you'd be OK with calling a hammer "a robot" if it's being held by a robot arm (or even by a human who you're paying to follow your written instructions)?
    - WillReplyfFood 9y ago
      The Strandbeast is a robot then? Or is a way to show environment dependent behaviour part of the equation?
      - mhb 9y ago
        No. Despite all the hype those have received, they're mechanical tumbleweeds.
- cornellwright 9y ago
  If this is not a robot, then what is a robot?
  - danielbarla 9y ago
    Well, I think the argument is that you're looking at a tiny piece of a larger equipment, which contains the power source and needs to manipulate this smaller device using magnetic fields. So, probably the entire set of equipment would be the robot. While still very cool, I think the way it's presented here implies that the little rubber part is autonomous in terms of power, muscles / actuation, sensing and local planning capability, which is just not the case.
    - regularfry 9y ago
      I think you'd have a hard time convincing people that https://www.istockphoto.com/gb/photo/industrial-robot-arm-isolated-on-a-white-background-gm507266875-45772594?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect https://www.istockphoto.com/gb/photo/industrial-robot-arm-is... wasn't a robot, but the same argument applies.
  - taneq 9y ago
    That's actually a really complicated question because 'robot' is a poorly defined category. You run into similar problems trying to figure out a definition for "what is life?" that includes everything that we think is obviously alive (like worker bees and frozen-but-revivable organisms) but doesn't also include things that we think are obviously not alive (like fire).
- JKCalhoun 9y ago
  Kind of a robot avatar then.
- lawlessone 9y ago
  You could argue its the appendage of a robot.
msft1169773 9y ago
Reminds me somewhat of this synthetic 'jellyfish' made from rat muscle cells attached to a polymer: https://www.nature.com/news/artificial-jellyfish-built-from-rat-cells-1.11046 https://www.nature.com/news/artificial-jellyfish-built-from-...

42 points by IntronExon 9y ago

Not a robot. However, definitely potential for a micro touchless manipulator . "The scientists use external magnetic fields to exert torque on magnetic particles embedded inside the soft elastomer body of the robot to change the robot's body shape and steer it around." https://phys.org/news/2018-01-nature-inspired-soft-millirobot-enclosed-spaces.html https://phys.org/news/2018-01-nature-inspired-soft-millirobo...

bsmith 9y ago
I came here to say it wasn't a robot, but you beat me to the punch. I wonder how small they could have made it if it were 100% self-contained.
proee 9y ago
It's a robot. Even better, it's wirelessly powered and wirelessly controlled.
- mhb 9y ago
  Look at my crumpled paper robot! It goes wherever I direct it with puffs of air!
  - z3t4 9y ago
    Depends on if you are controlling it manually or automatically. If you could program the paper to move, I would have no problem you calling it a robot.
    - taneq 9y ago
      So you'd be OK with calling a hammer "a robot" if it's being held by a robot arm (or even by a human who you're paying to follow your written instructions)?
  - WillReplyfFood 9y ago
    The Strandbeast is a robot then? Or is a way to show environment dependent behaviour part of the equation?
    - mhb 9y ago
      No. Despite all the hype those have received, they're mechanical tumbleweeds.
cornellwright 9y ago
If this is not a robot, then what is a robot?
- danielbarla 9y ago
  Well, I think the argument is that you're looking at a tiny piece of a larger equipment, which contains the power source and needs to manipulate this smaller device using magnetic fields. So, probably the entire set of equipment would be the robot. While still very cool, I think the way it's presented here implies that the little rubber part is autonomous in terms of power, muscles / actuation, sensing and local planning capability, which is just not the case.
  - regularfry 9y ago
    I think you'd have a hard time convincing people that https://www.istockphoto.com/gb/photo/industrial-robot-arm-isolated-on-a-white-background-gm507266875-45772594?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect https://www.istockphoto.com/gb/photo/industrial-robot-arm-is... wasn't a robot, but the same argument applies.
- taneq 9y ago
  That's actually a really complicated question because 'robot' is a poorly defined category. You run into similar problems trying to figure out a definition for "what is life?" that includes everything that we think is obviously alive (like worker bees and frozen-but-revivable organisms) but doesn't also include things that we think are obviously not alive (like fire).
JKCalhoun 9y ago
Kind of a robot avatar then.
lawlessone 9y ago
You could argue its the appendage of a robot.

msft1169773 9y ago

Reminds me somewhat of this synthetic 'jellyfish' made from rat muscle cells attached to a polymer: https://www.nature.com/news/artificial-jellyfish-built-from-rat-cells-1.11046 https://www.nature.com/news/artificial-jellyfish-built-from-...