The prospect of robots to perform dexterous manipulation same as humans, or even more has been most compelling for a computer scientist at the Lehigh University who has studied robotics for more than thirty years.
“Throwing light on his view about robots, the computer scientist considers robots to be really useful, to pick up stuff, to be able to manipulate stuff, put things and fix things, to help with the floor and other such works. For an ability like this, it requires a number of technical areas to collectively look at a problem which is beyond the understanding of many people.
Natural muscles in animals inspire development of soft robots, says researcher
But, for some, this is of high interest. A team of researchers at the Computer Science and Engineering Department, Lehigh University are working on projects that involve this type of technical challenges. Collaboration to develop a new approach for the design and construction of soft robots is one such project. “Interestingly, soft robots is the future of human-machine collaboration, “says the lead researcher. In fact, the movement of natural muscles in soft animal structures is behind the idea of soft robots. Giraffe tongues, elephant trunks, and octopus tentacles are some examples of natural muscles that inspire construction of soft robots.
A ‘perspective’ research paper is published in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper points out how well-validated computer simulation can provide a virtual proving ground. In many cases, this is instrumental for safe understanding, lower costs, and faster processes. In addition, it thoroughly explains about the design of robots of the future, and their control for safe operation and improved performance.