The new “growing robot” can be programmed to grow, or extend, in different directions, based on the sequence of chain units that are locked and fed out from the “growing tip,” or gearbox. Credit: MIT News
This is yet another proof of the benefits of biomimicry in robotics. MIT researchers have presented a type of robot that can spread like a plant at an early age. The team managed to develop a ‘non-soft’ that does not depends on a soft structure to reach a desirable height.
The growing robot is not only flexible to twist and turn in any necessary configuration, but also rigid enough to support heavy loads or apply torque to assemble parts in tight spaces. It can extend to areas where a person could not, possessing the stiffness and strength necessary to support itself.
The robot seeks to solve challenges that arise in the current industrial and commercial robots in terms of the versatility they have to reach a specific area.
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