According to foreign media reports, because the sloths move very slowly, even when they are moving at full speed, they burn relatively few calories, so they need little food. Scientists have now applied this principle to a slow-moving but energy-saving robot called SlothBot. One of the main uses of this robot is environmental monitoring.
The prototype device was built by researchers Gennaro Notomista and Yousef Emam of Georgia Institute of Technology as part of a project led by Professor Magnus Egerstedt. SlothBot is mainly composed of 3D printed gears and other components, and is designed to grab horizontally wound cables through battery-powered rubber wheels. It then uses these wheels to move along the cable, periodically switching from one cable to another in the linked network.
Such a cable network can pass through treetops in the jungle, where SlothBot will be used to observe wild animals or measure changes in the environment. According to reports, it can last for several months at a time, charge the battery through a built-in solar panel, and only move along the cable when necessary.
Currently, the robot consists of two articulated parts, both of which have many prominent lines. However, the researchers plan to encapsulate it in a protective enclosure when it is actually working. It can then be field tested at a cocoa plantation in Costa Rica, where it will utilize existing cables used to transport cocoa. These cables are also used as a "highway" by real sloths, and SlothBot can be observed without interference.
Prototype equipment may also be monitored on the canopy of the Atlanta Botanic Gardens in the near future-testing may be conducted as early as this fall.
"Compared to other things, mobile consumes more energy," Egerstedt said. "Moving is 'much more expensive' than perception or thinking. For environmental robots, you should only move it when you absolutely need it."
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