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Frontline
mechanics
Though most
robots may look like characters from out of sci-fi movies, Raj
Kaushik feels they are real heroes because they take the heat for
humans
THEY come in all sizes and shapes. While some are
snake-like, others resemble sophisticated war tanks, and still
others look and behave like humans. But though most may look like
weird characters straight out of science-fiction movies, they are
real heroes because they take the heat for humans.
Rescue robots
helped search through the rubble of the World Trade Center after the
11 September 2001 attacks in New York. Robin Murphy, an engineering
professor at the University of South Florida, and his students
deployed about eight different types of robots in the search and
rescue mission. They found that most of the robots were not yet
sophisticated enough to roam the rubble. Some were too big and heavy
to manoeuvre the terrain or able to climb vertical piles.
Robots
are smart but not as smart as scientists want them to be. “Give us
about five years and I think we can show the world something pretty
impressive,” says Shigeo Hirose, a professor at the Tokyo Institute
of Technology.
Scientists worldwide are engaged in advancing
robotics using the experience gained in New York. They are employing
complex mathematical algorithms that enable them to autonomously
sense and respond to obstacles and problems they encounter while
navigating hostile territories. The goal is to design
search-and-rescue robots that are smarter, faster, and more
independent, which is critical in most disasters.
Howie Choset, a
mechanical engineer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, is fascinated with the idea of developing a robot
called “snakebot”. His snakebots measure about five centimetres in
diameter, just like the arm of a child. The snakebots contain
bevelled gears around their circumference. These gears allow them to
move efficiently in convoluted, confined spaces.
Souryu, or blue
dragon, is a 45-inch long remote-controlled robot designed by Shigeo
Hirose at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Souryu crawls using six
tracks, two on each side of its three-part body. It can easily bend
at the joints or roll over on its side to manoeuvre through rubble
and is equipped with a camera and microphone to search for
victims.
In the event of earthquakes or mining accidents, the
snake-like robots can be used to locate trapped victims and provide
them with water or other necessary items for survival.
The Comet
III, a spider-like robot designed by Chiba University professor
Kenzo Nonami, is part of a state-funded project to develop demining
technologies for Afghanistan.
About four metres long and
weighing 900 kg, the Comet III walks on six sturdy metal legs and is
equipped with a highly sensitive metal detector with an electrical
circuit that responds to just a couple of grams of metal in a
plastic landmine buried up to 30 centimetres in the ground.
The
detector is also combined with underground radar, which radiates two
gigahertz of electromagnetic waves and detects the reflection of
landmines buried up to 80 centimetres in the ground. Once a mine is
detected, a spray gun on the front of the robot shoots paint onto
the ground to mark the location.
Canadian scientists at the
University of Calgary have developed a bomb disposal robot that
captures fingerprints from a mail bomb packet.
Handling an
explosive device isn’t an easy task. If a robot needs to move the
packet, it may explode if it is fitted with a movement-sensitive
switch, thus destroying all the potential clues. Fingerprints are
traces of amino acids, fatty acids and proteins that are secreted on
the whorls and ridges of the fingers and palms. To make the
fingerprints on the packet prominent and visible, the robot sprays a
jet of cyanoacrylate vapours, popularly known as superglue. This
reacts with organic molecules left on the packet to provide a white
polymer impression. The robot uses a high-resolution camera to
photograph enhanced fingerprint impression.
In the international
robot competition, Robocup US Open, held in April 2004, a Korean
robot, Robhaz-DT3 stole the show in the rescue field. The two
track-equipped robot could climb a 45-degree slope and run as fast
as 12 kmph.
Two Robhaz-DT3 robots will soon join the dangerous
mission in war-torn Iraq. Armed with cameras and sensors, these will
be used to monitor sensitive areas and locate and dispose
bombs.
Scientists are designing and developing sophisticated
machines to save human lives. “My belief is that people shouldn’t
have to do dangerous tasks,” says Kenzo Nonami, whose aim is to make
an autonomous robot that can move and spot landmines on its
own.
Researchers are, however, concerned about the possibility
that their robots might be used heavily for military purposes.
Robots are already playing a growing role in the US armed forces.
They scout enemy positions, sniff for chemical and biological
warfare agents and slither down sewers to collect intelligence.
Robots have innovative features — such as cameras, sensors and a
greater degree of mobility — that can save human lives. And, as
Fumitoshi Matsuno, a professor at the University of
Electro-Communications, says, “We need to publicise the fact that
our research is intended for rescue activities and not for war.”
(A former project coordinator with the National Council of
Science Museums, India, and exhibits manager at the Discovery
Centre, Halifax, the author now works as senior server developer in
Toronto.)
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