The robotics at Stanford University team managed the feat of towing a car with 1,800 kilos 6 miniature robots.
In robotics, is very familiar with the work of Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of Google , which develops ever more impressive devices either by their size or displacement capacity.
But other teams are working on another type of machine much smaller. This is particularly the case of Stanford University robotics team in California seeking his side to create robots with the best size / strength. The bet seems successful when we see the capacity of MicroTug .
6 mini-robot car towing an implement 1800 kg
We already talked about the MicroTug few weeks ago and it is clear that they have made good progress since. With 6 robots, each weighing 17 grams, the research team was able to pull a sedan weighing 1,800 kilos. Basically, each robot pulls about 2000 times its weight.
At same size, it is as if a human being was able to move a heavy weight of 20 tons at arms. To achieve such a feat, Stanford scholars were inspired by the animal world, especially ants.
A collective effort
By observing the crazy ants and their ability to carry objects of impressive size that MicroTug were developed. For not only small robots towing an impressive weight relative to their weight, but more importantly, they are able to communicate with each other to optimize their effort and so move mountains! (or almost)
In addition, each robot is equipped with adhesive feet that allow to pass a maximum power to the ground. David Christensen, one of the researchers working on the project, filmed a video demonstrating the capabilities unconventional small robots. Please note, it has been accelerated 20 times when moving the sedan!
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