Description :

Terrain Robots

REACH BEYOND YOUR GRASP

Terrain robots are robots that are used for surveillance, research & surveying and other tasks where the terrain is difficult to move through, such as thick forests or uneven rocks. These are rugged robots that are made to operate under rough conditions and are hence best suited for the military as well as search and rescue operations.

MILITARY’S WATCHDOG 

Packbots are a standard example of terrain robots and have been used in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. They were also used to look through the debris after the attack on the WTC and later in the inspection of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

GO ANYWHERE

Weighing less than 14 kg, this rugged robot can easily move over rough and uneven terrain, climb stairs as well as manipulate objects dexterously through a wearable controller. The robot is also easy to carry and can be deployed in packs while on the move.

Designed to operate in all weather conditions, this waterproof and shockproof robot can move with a maximum road speed of 10 km/hr. It can even traverse through a water depth of 15.2 cm and is small enough to reach places where soldiers cannot or should not go.

All-terrain robots can be easily regarded as the future of search and rescue missions as well as a future means of fighting wars.

TRIVIA 

The payload can be changed and deployed in under two minutes.

The controller is based on video game controllers, ensuring easy adoption by young soldiers.

SEARCH & RESCUE ROBOTS

DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGYSearch and Rescue is the application of robotics that is dedicated to locating casualties in such disasters and initiating rescue operations. Combining various different technologies and machines, we can reduce the loss of life and attend to the casualties caused by such events.

These operations commonly involve all-terrain robots to move through the rubble and reach areas where it would be hazardous for a man to go. Other scenarios include war casualties, mountain rescue and cave rescue.

A MACHINE SAVIOUR?

The PackBot Explorer is a variant of the PackBot that can be fitted with a payload that peeks over obstacles or cover by elevating its camera head. It is equipped with multiple cameras, laser pointers, audio and other sensors

Initially developed with the support of DARPA, more than 3,500 PackBots have been delivered by Endeavor Robotics, previously known as iRobot. They have further inspired the development of many different search and rescue robots.

Apart from PackBots, robots such as the RSTAR, SmokeBot, MIT’s blind Cheetah are already saving lives, proving to be more effective than humans.

MEDICAL ROBOTS

MEET YOUR NEW DOCTOR

Medical robots come in different types, serving a vast range of purposes. These include Surgical robots, Rehabilitation robots, Biorobots, Telepresence robots, Pharmacy automation, Companion robots, and Disinfection robots.

MEDICINE TODAY: ROBOT ASSISTED SURGERYThe da Vinci Surgical System is one of the most ubiquitous medical robots and is the standard for Robot-Assisted Surgery today. With a remarkable improvement over conventional laparoscopy, this advanced robotic platform allows surgeons to perform complex minimally invasive surgeries with high precision and accuracy.

The da-Vinci System has been successfully used for general surgery, Gynecology, treatment of lung and prostate cancer and urological conditions.

IF THAT DOESN’T CONVINCE YOURobot doctors may sound too futuristic, but robot-assisted surgery through da Vinci system is commonplace today.

More than 1,700 da Vinci systems are already installed in hospitals worldwide.

Since the FDA approval in 2000, more than 3 million minimal invasive surgeries have been performed with da Vinci systems and a new one begins every 42 seconds.

Three out of four prostate cancer surgeries in the U.S. are performed using the da Vinci Surgery.

Other robots in the category include the TSolution One, Flex Robotics system, and the ARTAS.

SURGEON CONSOLE Provides high-definition, 3D image from inside of the patient’s body.

Master controls used to translate the surgeon’s hand movements to movements of surgical instruments.

VISION SYSTEM

Equipped with high-definition 3D endoscope and an image processing unit, the vision system offers realistic images of the patient’s body. There is also a wide screen view which provides surgical assistance near the patient side for a broader visualization of the ongoing procedure.

ENDOWRISTINSTRUMENTS 

The surgeon has access to a full range of Endowrist instruments during the operation. These instruments are designed with seven degrees of motion, far better than the human wrists.

Patient Side Cart

Multiple robotic arms that function according to the surgeon’s commands.

WALL CLIMBING

GECKO ROBOT

The Gecko robot uses an adhesive material that mimicks the lizard's ability to stick to the wall and move up. This adhesion is possible due to the Van der Walls forces created by the tiny fibers on the lizard's feet and the wall surface.The revolutionary synthetic material mimicking a gecko foot was discovered by Andre Geim and fellow researchers at the University of Manchester in 2003. Since the robot is capable of moving up the wall without any external power, it is cost-effective and is often used for pick and place applications. Gecko robot sets an example of how our understanding about the fundamental forces of nature can help us in looking at an unsolved problem from a different direction altogether.

IMPELLER-BASED WALL CLIMBING ROBOTRobots are primarily meant to reduce manual labour so that men can focus on intelligent tasks and wall climbing robots are a prime example of this. Impeller-based robot is another example of a robot that utilizes vacuum adhesion technique to move on the wall surface. It houses an impeller pump operated by an electric motor, which generates vacuum to allow the robot to adhere to the wall. The wheels allow the robot to move up or down the wall. These types of robots are often light in weight and are useful in wall cleaning applications.

MAGNETIC WALL CLIMBING ROBOT

These types of robots utilize the principle of magnetism to move up a metallic surface. The robots are equipped with either electromagnets or permanent magnets using different configurations to achieve locomotion. Magnetic wall climbing robots are widely used in outdoor applications, especially within industries for the inspection of ferromagnetic surfaces such as gas or oil tanks. Using different tools and sensors, these robots can detect cracks, corrosion and welding defects on complex industrial structures with better efficiency and precision.

SUCTION CUP WALL CLIMBING ROBOTSuction robot, as the name implies, has suction cups as its legs. These legs are operated through a vacuum pump which creates a negative air pressure on the flat wall surface, allowing the robot to adhere to the wall. The robot is capable of moving upwards or downwards through pneumatic actuators. These types of robots are often useful in industrial settings, such as inspecting a machine or a part located in closed cavities and hazardous environments. However, one of the drawbacks of suction-based wall climbing robots is that these can only operate on a flat surface such as glass walls or finished metal surfaces.

WEIGHT SHIFTING ROBOT Weight shifting robots are an advanced form of wall climbing robots that utilize foot and handholds to climb a wall, similar to a human climber. It utilizes algorithms that include a sophisticated load-balancing system to distribute the weight to the legs and arms evenly for greater stability when shifting between the supports during the climb. With advances in technology, weight shifting robots can be utilized in planetary exploration missions such as scaling uneven martian cliffs to uncover more geological information about the Red Planet. These robots are equally useful in search and rescue applications.

MICRO ROBOTS- 

THE LITTLE ONES

Robots that are less than 1mm in size are known as microbots. The initial research on these robots was done in the 1970’s by the U.S. Intelligence agencies. This classified research was to analyse their possible usage in rescue assistance and electronic  intercept missions.

Today, the three major areas of research in this field are power supply, flight and the use of “robot swarms”. Robot swarms are swarms of microbots that work in unison to achieve specific goals. They use signals such as the WiFi to coordinate their movements.

INSPIRED BY NATURE

Developers are making use of biomimetics to overcome the challenges they face in applying the “macro” technologies to microscopic robots. Biomimetics refers to the imitation of natural systems to solve human problems and often finds implementations in technology. For example, biological motors can be used as power sources for these tiny robots, which can not carry large batteries for power supply.

CHILD’S PLAYThe popularity of microbots as toys has grown significantly in the past years, with brands like Hexbug providing many child friendly microbots. These are fascinating machines but there are many potential applications that they can have with future developments. These robots can have a huge application in search and rescue operations. There is still tremendous research scope for such robots.

DOMESTIC AND FLOOR CLEANING 

THE HOUSEKEEPING STAFF

Machines are now sophisticated enough to operate without much supervision. By making use of the latest technologies, they can navigate their way around the house, perform the tasks they’re programmed for, and alert you for refills, recharge, etc.

This is the case with the OysterBot, the current state of the art floor vacuum cleaner. It is the fastest cleaning bot in India and provides the longest battery life. It comes with a water tank that is used for wet cleaning. It can operate autonomously, keeping your house clean without any intervention.

Swash, on the other hand, is a dry cleaning robot that can clean and iron your clothes within 10 minutes without using any external agents such as water or petroleum based solvents. This increases the life of your clothes while saving time and money as well.

AUTONOMOUS HOME-SERVICE

Household chores are tasks that are important for a healthy life but take up time and energy. They often get neglected, particularly in the case of coming generations. Tasks such as mopping or cleaning could even cause muscle fatigue and in some cases, sprains. It is therefore natural to expect applications of robotics in housekeeping.

While machines such as automatic washing machines, dishwashers, etc., have been around for a long time, several other devices meant for housekeeping tasks are seeing adoption by the society today.