以昆蟲為靈感的能跳、能飛、能爬的機(jī)器人即將問世

以昆蟲為靈感的能跳、能飛、能爬的機(jī)器人即將問世

A whole arm of robotics is focusing on bug-size 'bots (and smaller).

整個(gè)機(jī)器人領(lǐng)域都在專注于蟲子大小(甚至更小)的機(jī)器人。

It's not just the size of tiny insects that are inspiring roboticists; it's also the many complex tasks and physical feats that comprise the everyday lives of many fleas, flies and other six-legged creatures.

不僅是微小昆蟲的大小激發(fā)機(jī)器人專家們的靈感，許多跳蚤、蒼蠅和其他六條腿生物的日常生活也包含許多復(fù)雜的任務(wù)和身體特技。

The question isn't only how big and powerful we can make a machine, but how small and savvy. What might humans be capable of if we could command a tiny army of simple machines? How could we use robots that could fly, skim across the water, hop to the ceiling and even swarm?

問題不僅在于我們能制造出多大、多強(qiáng)大的機(jī)器，還在于它有多小、有多聰明。如果我們能指揮一支由簡(jiǎn)單機(jī)器組成的小軍隊(duì)，人類能做些什么呢?我們?nèi)绾卫媚茱w、能掠過水面、能跳到天花板上甚至能成群結(jié)隊(duì)的機(jī)器人呢?

That's exactly the kind of question roboticists like Zeynep Temel, an assistant professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, is asking -- and answering -- in her lab.

這正是像澤伊內(nèi)普·特梅爾這樣的機(jī)器人專家在她的實(shí)驗(yàn)室里提出和回答的問題。澤伊內(nèi)普是匹茲堡卡內(nèi)基梅隆大學(xué)的機(jī)器人技術(shù)助理教授。

Tiny robots would be useful in medical applications -- for targeted drug delivery or simple surgeries sans incisions, according to Temel. Miniature robots could also save lives in dangerous places like minefields, or during search and rescue: "If you have small bug-robots, it's possible to do ‘more efficient -- and safer -- rescue operations’ following an avalanche or earthquake where it's dangerous for humans or even larger robots to tread. " she said.

特梅爾表示，微型機(jī)器人將在醫(yī)療應(yīng)用中發(fā)揮作用——用于定向輸送藥物或無(wú)切口的簡(jiǎn)單手術(shù)。微型機(jī)器人還可以在雷區(qū)等危險(xiǎn)地點(diǎn)或搜救過程中拯救生命:“如果你有小蟲子型機(jī)器人，它就有可能在雪崩或地震發(fā)生后進(jìn)行‘更高效、更安全的救援行動(dòng)’，因?yàn)檫@些地方對(duì)人類或更大的機(jī)器人來說都很危險(xiǎn)。”她說。

Small robots that can work together, like ants or bees do, would also be ideal for exploring other planets like Mars, again keeping humans away from risky, unexplored situations:

能夠像螞蟻或蜜蜂那樣協(xié)同工作的小型機(jī)器人，也將是探索火星等其他行星的理想選擇，再次讓人類遠(yuǎn)離危險(xiǎn)的、未探索的情況:

"I hope my research will be used to make modular robots that can self-assemble, to be used by astronauts in unknown environments to lend a helping hand," said Jamie Paik, founder and director of the Reconfigurable Robotics Lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

瑞士聯(lián)邦理工學(xué)院可重構(gòu)機(jī)器人實(shí)驗(yàn)室的創(chuàng)始人兼主任杰米·派克說:“我希望我的研究能用于制造模塊化機(jī)器人，這種機(jī)器人可以自我組裝，供宇航員在未知環(huán)境下使用并提供幫助。”

These are just some of the important applications bio-inspired robots could be used for, and that's why roboticists at the worldwide major robotics labs are dedicated to exploring the class Insecta.

這些只是仿生機(jī)器人可以用于的一些重要應(yīng)用，這就是為什么世界主要機(jī)器人實(shí)驗(yàn)室的機(jī)器人專家致力于探索昆蟲類。

Ants are a favorite inspiration -- they're able to lift bulky and heavier-than-they-are loads and travel quickly in sandy deserts as well as woodlands. These insects also work together to create bridges and surmount obstacles.

螞蟻是最受歡迎的靈感來源——它們能夠舉起比自己體積大或重量重的東西，而且在沙漠和林地都能快速移動(dòng)。這些昆蟲還一起工作，創(chuàng)造橋梁，克服障礙。

Why are insects such useful inspiration for roboticists? They give scientists a starting point, Paik said, that proves a possibility -- such as jumping 100 times their height like a flea, climbing vertical obstacles (or even upside down) or packing wings under a petite hard shell like a ladybug. "These are nature's optimized designs," she said.

為什么昆蟲對(duì)機(jī)器人專家來說是如此有用的靈感?他們給了科學(xué)家們一個(gè)起點(diǎn)，派克說，這證明了一種可能性——比如像跳蚤一樣跳躍100倍于他們的高度，攀爬垂直的障礙物(甚至是倒立的)，或者像瓢蟲一樣將翅膀包裹在微小的堅(jiān)硬外殼下。”這些都是大自然的優(yōu)化設(shè)計(jì)，”她說。

Temel backed up Paik's point -- while she said she's still a bit personally afraid of insects (the live ones), she has nonetheless come to admire how well they solve so many difficult problems.

特梅爾支持派克的觀點(diǎn)——盡管她說她個(gè)人還是有點(diǎn)害怕昆蟲(活的)，但是她已經(jīng)開始?xì)J佩昆蟲是如何解決這么多難題的。

"They swim, they fly fast and know how to balance to perch, they walk and jump on the water's surface, and they can jump onto leaves which are like tiny, unstable platforms," Temel said.

“它們會(huì)游泳，飛得很快，知道如何在棲木上保持平衡，它們?cè)谒嫔闲凶吆吞S，它們還能跳到樹葉上，樹葉就像微小的、不穩(wěn)定的平臺(tái)，”特梅爾說。

One of the biggest challenges for robots of all sizes is remaining upright on complex surfaces. "Robots are good at smooth, but natural terrain is fascinatingly rough, and so it's difficult for robots," said Kathryn Daltorio, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Case Western Reserve University.

對(duì)于所有大小的機(jī)器人來說，最大的挑戰(zhàn)之一就是在復(fù)雜的表面上保持直立。凱斯西儲(chǔ)大學(xué)機(jī)械工程助理教授凱瑟琳·達(dá)爾托里奧說:“機(jī)器人擅長(zhǎng)平滑地形(行動(dòng))，但自然地形非常粗糙，所以對(duì)機(jī)器人來說很難適應(yīng)。”

There is still a lot more research for roboticists to do before robots are as smart and agile as insects: "Even a small fly has really smart reactions that are quick and able to respond to a lot of sensory information," Daltorio said. "(Insects) have this very rich and adaptive behavioral repertoire that we can't yet get a robot to do."

在機(jī)器人像昆蟲一樣聰明敏捷之前，機(jī)器人專家還有很多工作要做。達(dá)爾托里奧說:“即使是小蒼蠅也有非常敏捷的反應(yīng)，能夠?qū)芏喔泄傩畔⒆龀隹焖俚姆磻?yīng)。”“(昆蟲)有這種非常豐富的適應(yīng)性行為技能，我們還不能讓機(jī)器人做到這一點(diǎn)。”