Slashdot Mirror
iRobot Introduces Morphing Blob Robot
Aristos Mazer sends word of research out of iRobot on a "chembot," or morphing blob robot, that looks like dough and moves by shifting its sides from solid-like to liquid-like states. This will allow it, in theory and after lots of refinement, to pass through cracks by squeezing. iRobot calls the new technique "jamming." The research project was funded by DARPA. The video clearly shows the early stage the work is in, but when you think about it the possibilities are a little unsettling.
I've got a sourdough starter that will kick that thing's jammy little ass.
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
Nokia has a somewhat similar concept of this as well, implemented for mobile devices http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX-gTobCJHs
Concept design, but pretty cool to watch.
If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
Finally, now we can make "the ball" guard from The Prisoner.
I am not a number! You're number 6! I am not a number, I'm a free man!!
How we know is more important than what we know.
Taco is NOT a robot! I've seen him write an original summary!
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
... is a small robot vacuum a lot like the Roomba that can *ALSO* automatically empty its canister into a larger bin whenever the vacuum is full.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
now I know something is going on with slashdot, I totally expected a barage of T-1000 rants, and knee jerk joke threads.
Now, if they can make D12, D10, D8, D6, and D4 robots, I'll never fail another critical roll again!
Don't you mean, "Please tell me this research is being done on a remote island", in case something goes wrong?
There are some basic problems with this - specifically, iRobot's demonstration uses the addition and removal of air to control both size and hardness. In bodily cavities, not only would air be in limited supply, but in some areas (i.e. blood stream) it's downright not welcome!
looks like dough and moves by shifting its sides from solid-like to liquid-like states
Sounds like my wedding night.
Why is everything either a YRO or Orwellian issue here? Can't it just be cool?
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Why would this be more effective than a robot consisting of 20 linear actuators inside a tough enclosure? For that matter a serpentine or ferret-like robot would be more effective at fitting through narrow openings. There's reasons large animals abandoned amoeboid motion in favor of crawling or slithering.
I can see that I am not the only deeply perverted Slashdotter here.
Come on, they are just asking for it.
Although I think the best market for this is initially one populated by disgusting perverts (a larger market than anyone wants to admit) there is something incredibly terrifying about a military machine whose primary target is your asshole .
Imagine the horror. Somewhere in eastern Afghanistan there are men huddled in a cave fervently whispering. Talking not about smart missiles, bunker busters, and fuel bombs, but about smart AI blobs of fast moving jelly that get inside you and your death is one by your asshole exploding slowly through intense pressure deep in your bowels .
Between one of those horror blobs and 10 Navy Seals, I think I would choose death by Navy Seals instead.
Imagine being an insurgent hiding in a cave once the Pentagon equips this robot with a bomb, or better yet, Sony batteries...
Now which flavor of jellybean turned it into a ladder and which one turned it into a bridge?
Bryan R.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, or $12.50 as seen on eBay.....
but shouldn't we invent Mega Man before we invent one of his enemies?
Luckily, the use of blood to control the size and hardness of a mechanical system is a well-demonstrated technology.
A suicide bummer?
The revolution will not be televised... but it will have a page on Wikipedia
Don't worry, this technology has been out for years and nothing's happened yet.
For referencing that TV show I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
"From the article, it appears that they started doing this 5 years ago and have made significant progress"
Research in this area has made significant progress, yes, but still a long long way to go. There will probably be milestones along the way though, where a partially successful device may have lesser uses, but uses nontheless. There are already nanostructures that 'swim' using energy (eg, sugars) in the liquid they are put in, but when I saw those, they were just dumb self propelling motors, there was no control element to it.
"I wonder if the iRobot technology is similar?"
I don't know about other iRobot tech, but this stuff isn't. The video explains how it works.
The revolution will not be televised... but it will have a page on Wikipedia
What, didn't you hear about the butt-bomb? Link. They damn near assassinated the head of the Saudi antiterror squad.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
... would feed them honey flavored jelly beans.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
We're one step closer to tentacle-rape robots. Just pray to god the japanese don't get hold of this.
A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."