It’s called LORIS, like a primate, but its climbing system is inspired by insects
LORIS is a wall-climbing robot whose name is the same as the name of one of the most famous primates, but The climbing system it uses is based on insects: of its four limbs, it releases two diagonally opposite ones to hold itself aloft, while it remains anchored with the other two, also diagonally opposite. It integrates at the end of each limb for a proper grip micro pliers with small hooks Holds on virtually any surface.
How LORIS works
Every day, the world of robotics strives to design machines capable of performing tasks in the most efficient way possible. One task is to perform actions as quickly as possible, another is to move as humanly as possible, and we also have climbing. exist robots capable of crawling on surfaces with suction systems, using suction on his paws to stick to the surface; nevertheless undergo The ascent is complicated as he tries to ascend the surface with the holeswhich is not smooth enough because they are not able to seal the intake without air escaping.
An alternative to this system are micro-thorn forceps.. The robots have hooks that hold onto the wall with tiny, sharp micro-spines that sneak through depressions in the surface. The problem with this system is that it is effective on always perpendicular walls, but It is not in those that change their angle, sloping more in some parts, such as cliffs. To alleviate these problems, some integrate hooks that sink into the surfacebut they tend to consume too much energy and resources.
The solution is LORIS, a robot named after the animal because its acronym stands for ‘Lightweight Observation Robot for Irregular Slopes’. It is a lightweight robot with micro-hooks on its spine located at the end of each of its four limbs. The difference with other microbarb hook steals is that it counts with two sets of clamps at each end and a swivel at each endfor greater operability, in addition with a very low weight.
Addition, Its diagonal grip system is basic. He always holds two diagonally opposite limbs glued together, such as a left “arm” and a right “leg”, even though all of his limbs are actually identical legs. Both limbs exert force inward on the pincers, holding them, while the other two, also diagonally opposite, try to hook onto another part of the wall. It’s an insect-inspired system called inward-directed grasping (DIG).
To know where to hook and how to move forward, LORIS uses a depth-sensing camera which integrates with sa microprocessor. However, according to the creators, these components and the design itself do not make it more expensive, they emphasize that it follows from this simple and cheap production.
It was created by Paul Nadan, Spencer Backus, Aaron M. Johnson and some colleagues from Robotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. If you want to know more about how it works, this university publication offers more information about it.
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