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Like A Cat, New Robot Lands On Its Feet

Posted by timothy on from the pfffthhpt dept.

eckenheimer writes "Students at the Physics Department at Drury University have developed a robot that uses motions and contortions of its body to orient itself in zero gravity. According to the project site, 'If you've ever seen a cat land on its feet after falling while upside down then you've seen the idea behind our project.' The effort is a proposal for the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program."

2 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Where's the beef? by enforcer999 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here you go. It is not a very "pretty" robot but it could have its uses.

  2. RGSFOP by ghack · · Score: 5, Informative

    As an individual who has participated in the RGSFOP program, I have seen a number of novel experiments, but this particular experiment is a retread that has been done many, many times. Last March, for example, Washington-St. Louis did a very interesting experiment involving zero-gravity orientation of a space vehicle. The typical RGSFOP experiment fails, however, although my University did experience a success this year.

    A list of active RGSFOP teams