Researchers at Oregon State University are using the cockroach as inspiration for “the world’s first legged robot to be able to run easily over rough terrain.”
Assistant professor John Schmitt, MO G ’95, of OSU explains why running cockroaches are the model. “If we ever develop robots that can really run over rough ground, they can’t afford to use so much of their computing abilities and energy demand to accomplish it. A cockroach doesn’t think about running, it just runs,” said Schmitt. Read article
Recent reports in Science Daily highlight the potential of this research for space exploration, law enforcement, and military operations.
Τ
Three schools have been chosen as finalists for NASA’s mission to Venus, set to launch by 2018.
The University of Arizona, the University of Colorado, and Washington University (MO), were announced as finalists for the project to send a spacecraft to the planet.
Read more
Β
A new micro air vehicle (MAV) is being developed by researchers at Japan’s Chiba University.
The “hummingbird-style flying robot could be used to find people trapped in collapsed buildings, search for criminals, or even (to) explore other planets.”
This new MAV has competition, but is the smallest and most lightweight in its class. Future plans include attaching a tiny camera to the robot. Read article
Π
The Official Blog of Tau Beta Pi 
Leave a comment