Robot Talk · 21 Apr 2023 · 26m · Episode 45
Francesco Giorgio-Serchi, a Lecturer in Robotics at the University of Edinburgh, discusses the design and control of underwater vehicles for extreme weather conditions. He explains how his team uses anticipatory control algorithms to predict wave disturbances and maintain accurate positioning near offshore renewable energy structures. Additionally, he details the development of soft robotics, including the 'Octobot' and stiffening manipulators inspired by squid and jellyfish biomechanics, which offer both agility and efficiency for inspection and potential medical applications.
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Kari Love, co-author of 'Soft Robotics: A DIY Introduction to Squishy, Stretchy, and Flexible Robots' and adjunct professor at NYU, discusses the state of soft robotics, comparing drive systems like FlowIO and Programmable Air. She explores the definition of softness, materials like PolySense conductive dye, and simulation challenges, before pivoting to her course on religious robots, covering topics from holy water dispensers to Mormon transhumanism.
Carrie Love, a collaborator at the soft robotics consultancy Super-Releaser, explains the principles of soft robotics, distinguishing between pneumatic, hydraulic, and bio-inspired systems. She details the design of the Glaucus soft robot, a single-cast silicone quadruped, and discusses the challenges of non-linear behavior and manufacturing consistency. Love also describes her process for creating edible soft robots, exploring materials like licorice and fruit leather to actuate candy-based mechanisms.
Alana Sherman, an electrical engineer and project manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), discusses engineering instruments for deep-sea environments, including the DeepPIV system for studying larvaceans and the autonomous Benthic Rover. She details the challenges of designing electronics for high-pressure, cold-water conditions, such as pressure-tolerant vs. one-atmosphere housings and component failures like sticky motors. The conversation covers the Rover's long-term deployment, its use of acoustic ranging via Wave Gliders, and the specific mechanical and embedded system decisions required for reliable operation on the seafloor.
Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss a Caltech research project where scientists have turned jellyfish into 'cyborgs' to explore the deep ocean and monitor climate change. The team developed a low-cost electronic pacemaker to control swimming speed and a conical 'forebody' hat to hold sensors and improve hydrodynamics, allowing the jellyfish to swim up to 4.5 times faster while remaining healthy. This approach offers a scalable, ethical alternative to expensive robotic submarines for collecting oceanographic data.
Hosts Daniel Scott Mitchell and Farbod Moghaddam discuss biomimicry in robotics, starting with a Harvard team's creation of a 1.5-gram robotic actuator that mimics the mantis shrimp's two-latch mechanism to achieve 60 mph acceleration. They then cover research from Carnegie Mellon University's Biohybrid Organic Robotics Group (BORG), led by Professor Victoria Webster Wood, where PhD student Wen Huan developed tunable collagen tendons using electrocompaction and AI to create biodegradable, biohybrid robots for environmental safety.
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