{"id":11804,"date":"2024-05-13T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=11804"},"modified":"2025-01-21T04:15:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T04:15:30","slug":"innovative-snail-inspired-robot-swarm-revolutionizes-outdoor-robotics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/innovative-snail-inspired-robot-swarm-revolutionizes-outdoor-robotics\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovative Snail-Inspired Robot Swarm Revolutionizes Outdoor Robotics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-gray-200-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 id=\"at-a-glance\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">At a Glance<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Researchers have developed a snail robotic swarm system inspired by land snails, tailored for unstructured environments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">The system employs a two-mode connection mechanism, allowing the robots to exhibit freeform mobility and robust adhesion, similar to the locomotion and response to disturbance observed in land snails.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">The robots, equipped with magnet-embedded tracks, demonstrate free mode mobility, enhancing adaptability and efficiency, enabling them to move across various surfaces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">The strong mode employs a vacuum sucker with directional polymer stalks for secure adhesion, enabling the robots to work as one while maintaining individual functionality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Outdoor experiments have showcased the exceptional capabilities of individual robots and the remarkable synergy within the swarm, offering adaptable solutions for various tasks in unstructured environments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A team of roboticists at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cuhk.edu.hk\/english\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">the Chinese University of Hong Kong<\/a> has developed a groundbreaking snail robotic swarm system, drawing inspiration from land snails&#8217; unique locomotion and adhesive capabilities. This innovative system, tailored for unstructured environments, addresses the limitations of existing robot swarms, particularly in outdoor settings. The research, published in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-47788-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>Nature Communications<\/em><\/a>, introduces a two-mode connection mechanism, allowing the robots to exhibit freeform mobility and robust adhesion, akin to the locomotion and response to disturbance observed in land snails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The snail-like robots, equipped with magnet-embedded tracks, demonstrate free-mode mobility, mirroring the natural locomotion of snails. This mode enhances adaptability and efficiency, enabling the robots to move across a wide variety of smooth and uneven surfaces. Additionally, the strong mode employs a vacuum sucker with directional polymer stalks for secure adhesion, similar to a snail\u2019s response to disturbance. Integrating these two modes balances mobility and stable connections, enabling the robots to work as one while maintaining individual functionality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Outdoor experiments have showcased the exceptional capabilities of the individual robots and the remarkable synergy within the swarm. The robots can connect using the suction cup to form a train, create stair steps for climbing, and even navigate across gaps, resembling the cooperative behavior observed in ants forming bridges. While the robots are remotely controlled, the researchers envision a future where the robots can operate autonomously, opening up possibilities for applications in field research, search and rescue missions, and even space exploration as planetary probes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This pioneering research represents a significant advancement in terrestrial robotic swarms&#8217; real-world applications, offering adaptable solutions for various tasks in unstructured environments. The snail-inspired robot swarm system holds promise for revolutionizing the field of robotics and expanding the capabilities of autonomous systems in challenging outdoor settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 id=\"references\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Yirka, B. &amp; Tech Xplore. (2024, May 7). <em>Scientists create robot snails that can move independently using tracks or work together to climb<\/em>. Tech Xplore; Tech Xplore. <a href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2024-05-scientists-robot-snails-independently-tracks.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2024-05-scientists-robot-snails-independently-tracks.html<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Zhao, D., Luo, H., Tu, Y., Meng, C., &amp; Lam, T. L. (2024). Snail-inspired robotic swarms: A hybrid connector drives collective adaptation in unstructured outdoor environments. <em>Nature Communications<\/em>, <em>15<\/em>(1), 3647. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-024-47788-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-024-47788-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">.<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-024-47788-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1038\/s41467-024-47788-2<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At a Glance A team of roboticists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has developed a groundbreaking&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/08125514\/SEI_195081260.jpg?crop=16:9,smart&width=1200&height=675&upscale=true","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,16],"tags":[363,370],"class_list":{"0":"post-11804","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-engineering","8":"category-tech","9":"tag-robot","10":"tag-robotics","11":"cs-entry","12":"cs-video-wrap"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11804"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11805,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11804\/revisions\/11805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}