London:
British scientists have developed a robot rat, which they claim can seek out and identify objects using its whiskers.
A team from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory and the University of Sheffield has unveiled the 'SCRATCHbot' robot as part of a project to develop biologically inspired artificial intelligence systems.
According to the scientists, the robot will help in understanding how the human brain controls the movement of the sensory systems and this technology relies on sophisticated touch technology, enabling the robot to function in spaces such as smoke-filled rooms, where vision cannot be used.
The new technology has the potential for a number of further applications from using robots underground, under the sea, or in extremely dusty conditions, where vision is often seriously compromised, they said.
The new technology has been inspired by the use of touch in the animal kingdom. In nocturnal creatures, or those that inhabit poorly-lit places, this physical sense is widely preferred to vision as a primary means of discovering world.
Rats are especially effective at exploring their environments using their whiskers. They are able to accurately determine the position, shape and texture of objects using precise rhythmic sweeping movements of their whiskers, make rapid accurate decisions about objects, and then use the information to build environmental maps, the scientists said.
Team member Dr Tony Pipe said: "For a long time, vision has been the biological sensory modality most studied by scientists. But active touch sensing is a key focus for those of us looking at biological systems, which have implications for robotics research.
"Sensory systems such as rats' whiskers have some particular advantages in this area. In humans, for example, where sensors are at the fingertips, they are more vulnerable to damage and injury than whiskers."
According to the scientists, rats have the ability to operate with damaged whiskers and in theory broken whiskers on robots could be easily replaced, without affecting the whole robot and its expensive engineering.
"Future applications for this technology could include using robots underground, under the sea, or in extremely dusty conditions, where vision is often a seriously compromised sensory modality.
Here, whisker technology could be used to sense objects and manoeuvre in a difficult environment.
"In a smoke filled room for example, a robot like this could help with a rescue operation by locating survivors of a fire. This research builds on previous work we have done on whisker sensing," he said.
A team from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory and the University of Sheffield has unveiled the 'SCRATCHbot' robot as part of a project to develop biologically inspired artificial intelligence systems.
According to the scientists, the robot will help in understanding how the human brain controls the movement of the sensory systems and this technology relies on sophisticated touch technology, enabling the robot to function in spaces such as smoke-filled rooms, where vision cannot be used.
The new technology has the potential for a number of further applications from using robots underground, under the sea, or in extremely dusty conditions, where vision is often seriously compromised, they said.
The new technology has been inspired by the use of touch in the animal kingdom. In nocturnal creatures, or those that inhabit poorly-lit places, this physical sense is widely preferred to vision as a primary means of discovering world.
Rats are especially effective at exploring their environments using their whiskers. They are able to accurately determine the position, shape and texture of objects using precise rhythmic sweeping movements of their whiskers, make rapid accurate decisions about objects, and then use the information to build environmental maps, the scientists said.
Team member Dr Tony Pipe said: "For a long time, vision has been the biological sensory modality most studied by scientists. But active touch sensing is a key focus for those of us looking at biological systems, which have implications for robotics research.
"Sensory systems such as rats' whiskers have some particular advantages in this area. In humans, for example, where sensors are at the fingertips, they are more vulnerable to damage and injury than whiskers."
According to the scientists, rats have the ability to operate with damaged whiskers and in theory broken whiskers on robots could be easily replaced, without affecting the whole robot and its expensive engineering.
"Future applications for this technology could include using robots underground, under the sea, or in extremely dusty conditions, where vision is often a seriously compromised sensory modality.
Here, whisker technology could be used to sense objects and manoeuvre in a difficult environment.
"In a smoke filled room for example, a robot like this could help with a rescue operation by locating survivors of a fire. This research builds on previous work we have done on whisker sensing," he said.
