Crude automatons might have been around for centuries, but cybernetics – the basis for modern robotics – is a relatively new field of research.
There are robots and drones based on hummingbirds, beetles, dogs, and even jellyfish.
Now, a team from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia has designed and built a robot that moves and climbs like a lizard.
Research supervisor Dr Christofer Clemente said that most lizards have a similar shape and that they wanted to explore the reason for that.
In a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the study noted that lizards have perfected the way that they cross and climb difficult terrain through the process of evolution.
The researchers had tried numerous designs over the past four years, before finalising their current machine.
X-4 was tested against real climbing lizards
The resultant robot, named X-4, is about 24cm in length with four clawed feet, and is programmed to copy the movement and gait of a real climbing reptile.
It was tested against actual lizards (Australian water dragons and common house geckoes) and recorded as they climbed up a vertical surface.
One of the study’s main findings was that both the robot and the real lizards climbed best when maintaining a steady speed.
When the robot went below 40% or above 70% of its maximum speed, it had an even chance of tumbling from the wall, whereas in the middle, it always stayed on.
They also observed that the lizards kept their grip by climbing at between 60% and 80% of their top running speeds.
Another finding was that, against their initial expectations, the lizards’ feet did not have to orient with the direction of climbing in order for their claws or sticky pads to keep traction.
Instead, they rotate the front feet by 20 degrees and the back ones by 100 degrees.
This also worked for the robot, which was able to cling to the wall with rotated claws.
They found that it could climb furthest when combining the movement of its legs with a side-to-side motion along the trunk, which corresponded to the lizard’s spine.
It is hoped that the study could help to improve robotic optimisation and could lead to models being used in situations such as search and rescue in a disaster zone, and carrying out inspections of structures and machinery.
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