Robot Talk · 3 May 2024 · 25m · Episode 83
Estelle Raffy, a PhD student at the University of Bristol, explains how decentralized biological systems like octopuses and single cells inspire her work on 'life-like' artificial systems. She details the use of tensegrity structures in her 10-segment robot prototype, where distributed microcontrollers manage homeostasis and resilience without central control. Raffy also discusses the MorphoTalks seminar series, which explores morphological computation and the blurred lines between intelligence and adaptive behavior across disciplines.
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Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss a Harvard University research project that mimics ant colony behavior to create a decentralized swarm robotics system called 'RANTS'. They explain how the robots use 'photo-pheromones' (light gradients) to coordinate excavation tasks without central control, offering a lightweight alternative to complex AI. The episode also touches on the hosts' sponsor segment regarding IoT solutions for traffic congestion.
Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss the M4, a bio-inspired multimodal robot developed by Caltech and NASA JPL that can fly, roll, walk, and tumble using eight different modes of locomotion. They highlight how the robot's AI autonomously selects the best traversal method based on terrain, drawing inspiration from nature such as birds and sea lions. The episode also covers Jonathan Schultz of Team Huge, whose BattleBots design philosophy of accessible core components parallels the M4's adaptive engineering, while exploring applications in space exploration, emergency rescue, and last-mile delivery.
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.
Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss biomimicry in robotics, starting with a video of Grant Imahara visiting Carnegie Mellon University to explore bio-inspired robots like the snake robot. They then detail a starfish larva-inspired micro-robot developed at ETH Zurich that uses ultrasonic waves for targeted drug delivery, and a Peregrine Falcon-inspired drone landing system called 'Snag' developed by Stanford graduates at the University of Groningen.
Dr. Yulia Sandamirskaya, now leading the Neuromorphic Computing Group at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), discusses her work applying dynamical systems theory to robotics and machine vision. She details her previous role at Intel, where she utilized the Loihi neuromorphic platform to develop real-time robotic applications, including drone control and human-robot interaction. The episode also features commentary from Ralph Etienne-Cummings of Johns Hopkins University on the challenges of embodiment, active vision, and the need for heterogeneous hardware architectures.
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