Video – Shape Shifting Robot

Published on October 15th, 2009

Posted by Gasparrini in Video, science, tech

iRobot’s soft, shape-shifting robot blob can roll around and change shape.

27 users responded in " Video – Shape Shifting Robot "

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# 1 Great American said, on October 15th, 2009 at 1:13 am

Is that the new FIFA “soccer ball” I’ve been hearing about?

Gooooooooooooooal!

# 2 bobbo, there is little new in the world said, on October 15th, 2009 at 2:05 am

Compressed air has been used to change shapes/move objects/do work for a long time. I don’t see anything new here at all==well maybe doing something that is very simple in a more complex way? I’d like to see the application this tech is the best solution for rather than a new tech looking for a problem?

# 3 pedro said, on October 15th, 2009 at 2:38 am

#2 One word: military

# 4 bobbo, there is little new in the world said, on October 15th, 2009 at 2:42 am

Pedro–military doesn’t provide any info at all. Seems to me the “machines” the military is going for is all remote control vehicles powered by engines that fly or go on tracked wheels or multi-axels.

What military application do you think a ball that can barely roll with multiple dragging air lines connected to it is best answered by this product?

Even after your excellent contribution, I still can’t think of one.

# 5 KMFIX said, on October 15th, 2009 at 3:28 am

Sarah Connor.. So Screwed.

# 6 jerry said, on October 15th, 2009 at 4:09 am

expanding chewing gum?

# 7 WmDE said, on October 15th, 2009 at 4:17 am

Rover!

BCNU

# 8 soundwash said, on October 15th, 2009 at 4:46 am

#4 bobbo

-did you not see the DARPA logo at the end of the vid? (not to mention the two coat of arms) -and since when do you think so small??

The military has been begging congress to let loose, all manner of *autonomous* robots and drones for decades..

Combine this philosophy with nano/ferro fluids and metamaterials, and you can make an object that is quite easily powered and manipulated with electromagnetic or even scalar waves providing the motive force for capillary action.

if DARPA is showing us this cute “ball”, i’d bet good money the technology has already been fully realized, field tested and mass produced in many applications.

Given it’s morphing nature, i’ll go one further and say this vid was released to prepare us for something about to go mainstream that uses it.

My original first thought to post was “hey i thought the human form terminators were supposed to be “invented” last!

-Now, with that thought in mind, if you think of this concept and the material as using tiny, capillary-like “tubes” you actually could simulate the some of the “deformation” aspects of a human muscle, -or tongue.

It could be used to make a “skin” molded over a skull-like frame to create facial expressions, for instance.

Making this into a body part out of say, a doped carbon fiber matrix, you just might be able to achieve enough rigidity and strength to create an appendage with the dexterity, flexibility and usability similar to that of the liquid metal terminator’s hand an arms.

Since i strongly believe that skunk works military tech is at least 75 to 100 years ahead of anything we see in use today.. I don’t think it is much of a stretch at all. not the terminators per se, but technology similar.

I just hope there is *some faction* of our military left that still swears to uphold the constitution, no matter what conflicting orders they are told.

-s

# 9 smartalix said, on October 15th, 2009 at 4:52 am

Also, a ‘bot using this tech made out of C4 would be interesting. Imaging being in a bunker and seeing a malleable ‘Doomba’ squeeze through a crack.

# 10 LibertyLover said, on October 15th, 2009 at 5:39 am

I wonder if something like this could be used to replace lost muscles for medical uses.

# 11 pedro said, on October 15th, 2009 at 5:51 am

#4 Oh, I don’t know: the fact that irobot already makes robots for military applications like surveillance, the fact that a shape shifting robot coulg get into places more affectively than a rigid one and the fact that is co-sponsored by DARPA.

Yeap, barely any indications that it is for military applications, don’t you agree?

#10 What about a penile implant.

# 12 smartalix said, on October 15th, 2009 at 6:35 am

I don’t like your politics, but I love your tech insight, Pedro. The damn penile implant imagery will haunt me all day now. Performance art?

# 13 pedro said, on October 15th, 2009 at 7:43 am

#12 Well, different day to day realities may account for the political differences. But maybe we could catch up some drinks at the Star Trek experience and talk about tech. Not about the one discussed here, mind you.

# 14 smartalix said, on October 15th, 2009 at 9:35 am

Did they re-open it? Sadly it was closed a couple of years ago. It was one of the few places you could get a drink wihtout gambling going on everywhere around you (among its other charms).

# 15 pedro said, on October 15th, 2009 at 10:14 am

I heard the rumor about them being closed, but thought it wasn’t so. Damned! A pity. I never went to one.

# 16 LibertyLover said, on October 15th, 2009 at 10:50 am

#11, EEWWWEEE!

# 17 bobbo, there is little new in the world said, on October 15th, 2009 at 10:51 am

Pedro–you only make my point. Penile implants with a hand pump to expand or deflate using saline solution have been around for 20 years. For such an implant, I assume using saline is better than using air. If they want to replace some of the air/liquid with solid noncompressible elements, I don’t see any improvement–the key being the integrity of the wrapping material that keeps the hypdraulic agent in place.

Plus==any “robot” that is tethered to its power source/hypdraulic supply is completely vulnerable and ineffective in design. So–its an early prototype, but I still haven’t heard of any specific application this is the best response to. Squeezing thru a small hole? OK–solid body robots can withdraw their legs and scoot thru===just like 18 wheelers deflate their tires to get under a bridge==then they highball it to destination. Not flop around like a dead fish.

# 18 pedro said, on October 15th, 2009 at 12:01 pm

#17 I didn’t make any point other than I was having fun making jokes about it.

But hey, if you think is not for the military, I believe you. You seem much more informed about irobot than i am. NOT!

# 19 bobbo, there is little new in the world said, on October 15th, 2009 at 12:19 pm

#18–Pedro==I’m always happy to be educated. So SPECIFICALLY what is the application this robot is best fitted to?

# 20 smartalix said, on October 15th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

Crawling though tiny openings to deliver presents.

# 21 pedro said, on October 15th, 2009 at 1:03 pm

#19 Told you already, military. And BTW, that wasn’t the robot, but a test of the shape shifting for environment adaptation & propulsion.

# 22 smartalix said, on October 15th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

We could also send a squirming robot up through the hole in the Gantenbrink door.

# 23 bobbo, there is little new in the world said, on October 15th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

#21–Pedro==we’ve already been thru that answer and again I ask: SPECIFICALLY what is the application this robot is best fitted to? Now, its just fatally VAGUE to say “Military” and nothing more. Any expert with sufficient knowledge would at least include what BRANCH of the military has SPECIFIC uses of this slow tethered robot. Sheesh!!!!!

# 24 soundwash said, on October 15th, 2009 at 5:56 pm

#23 ::sigh::

You have eyes but cannot see
A human mind but cannot imagine
—-
LET GO of the friggin tether ffs!
—-

This thing has a lot to do with fluid dynamics..

Fill it with nanoferromagnetic fluid it’s shape can be modified by remote electromagnetic waves or by internally generated magnetic domains.

The “cell” design that was scribbled out on the paper looked very similar to the cell structure in the 3rd and 4th layers of skin (the Granular layer and the Prickle-cell layer)

One of THE most important needs of the military is to be “unseen”.

-to blend in, be chameleon-like, be stealthy etc, yes?

You can take this material and make it into a skin which can be as rigid as a aluminum or carbon fiber and as pliable or flaccid as bag of jelly, and grossly change it’s shape as well.

You could stretch this material over a vehicle or framework and change its overall outwardly appearance, -instantly.

The ability to blend *into* your surroundings is priceless.

This would be a great asset against aerial photography for starters. The applications are endless.

Change your tank to look like the enemies, for instance.

It may even be possible to make minute changes to an airfoil skinned with this stuff, effecting major changes to the flight envelope in real time.

In the case anti-gravity craft, where an airfoil is only needed in atmospheric flight, you could change the contours according what part of the atmosphere your in.

-or change the entire appearance of the craft when grounded to blend in..

As i mentioned in my first post. you could design something with the musculature are articulation of any part of a human.

-all tip of the iceberg.

And you do not need a tether. That tether image was planted in your mind to keep it from wondering outside it’s box. -It apparently worked flawlessly.

Rise above your programming d00d! (and if you don’t turn off your bloody TeeVee, you never will)

-s

# 25 noname said, on October 15th, 2009 at 7:29 pm

# 11 pedro,

#10 What about a penile implant.

pedro, sounds like you got some scrotum size envy.

# 26 deowll said, on October 15th, 2009 at 8:04 pm

Interesting but the power supply, computer and everything else is outside this robot.

# 27 smartalix said, on October 16th, 2009 at 10:18 am

Bobbo,

There are quite a few military apps where telepresence or remote weapons delivery is involved and a tether is of no consequence. Entering a tunnel or bunker or house or random hole full of bad guys, any of these situations can be adressed with a very long flexible pole (a mega-petard, as you will), and a robot on a tether is the ultimate long stick. The TOW is an aerial robot on a tether, as another example. This would be yet another means of locomotion well-suited to broken terrain.

This does not even go into the further exploration of the core tech as mentioned by Soundwash. Are you sure you aren’t arguing with Pedro just because he can be a bit of a jerk when it comes to politics?

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