Cheetah robot by MIT
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עברית (Hebrew)
Researchers from MIT, with partial funding from the United States military, have developed a robot inspired by the cheetah. The cheetah robot can jump and run much like the abilities of the animal on which it’s based. The technology installed on the robot which allows it to imitate the wild beast’s abilities is made up of laser sensors to measure distance from themselves in the surrounding area, and it’s those that enable it to detect obstacles in its path in advance. After detecting, a complicated analysis procedure takes place, by the end of which the robot “decides” whether the obstacles can be passed by jumping over it, bypassing it or by some other way. The developers who laboured over this sophisticated robot hope to bring it to a point where it can be of use to military men in their missions, as well as to search and rescue teams that work in disaster-stricken areas.
The animal kingdom continues to inspire new technology. It seems that whenever we feel we’ve reached a certain point of saturation, science keeps surprising and innovating with its many inventions. Is there an end to knowledge and capabilites we can produce from animal performances? Judging by the past, the future still has many surprises in store, especially in light of the fact that new species of animals are being discovered in remote places such as the middle of the jungle or the edges of Africa or the poles. These species can help produce valuable information by surveillance and observation and so, all we laymen have left to do is curiously and anxiously await for the next invention.
