Engineers teaming up with biologists to develop robots that are inspired by nature (animals and insects) is a wonderful trend that has taken the field up by storm. Anette Hosoi, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, is a great example of this. Her RoboSnail (or snailbot) is inspired that yucky creatures – the snail. As it turns out the slimy substance that adorns snails’ underbellies was something that Hosoi was deeply interested in. The fact that a snail’s composition allows it to move in any direction, on practically any surface, inspired Hosoi and her associates to model a robot after it. Modeling a robot after a creature that Hosoi describes as “nature’s all-terrain vehicle” led to the creation of RoboSnail that is able to climb up walls and even stick to ceilings. The RoboSnail is built up of movable segments that ripple over synthetic snail sledge. This robot could ultimately be found useful in conducting research in hard to reach places. So whilst you might be repulsed by geckos, cockroaches and, obviously, snails, robot engineers are increasingly using these repulsive things as inspiration for state-of-the-art bots. Wonder what’s next?
