The basic idea for my research program, is to try to learn from nature, because it cannot fail,so i am going to make a small cockroach maybe using oscillator that control each cockroach's leg, thats a little complicated, because i must to do somekind of guitar with the cockroach's legs. I mean each leg must to respond to one and only one frequency, and in that frequency the leg must to move it, thats only the beginning, after that, i have to coordinate the leg's movements, in order that the cockroach can walk and even run.
Name: Jose Luis del Rio Valdes
Supervisor's name: Hiroshi Kimura (Robotics)
Research Project:
Robot Cockroach construction
The objective of this research project is to construct a small robot, based in nature, in this particular case, we focus on the cockroach and based in how it moves, we are going to construct a robot, the idea is to use some kind of oscillator, and in this way move each of cockroach's legs, so we intend to make that it give littles jumps instead of walking like a dog or a cat.
The Plan is the next one.
For the first months here I am going to study cockroach movement, then using that study, implement the idea to make a robot. I have to study about how to implement oscillators, study about resonance, so in that way the first thing its to try to move just one cockroach's leg, if i success, then implement a six legs cockroach robot, after that.
Progress/Difficulty
Well, at this time I have look around the problem, the idea is very simple, nobody had try this before, and see if we can implement that robot, making legs vibrate, and control the cockroach's movement in this way.
Impression
I think it's a very interesting project, because all that it involves, sinche physics phenomenon such as resonance, until applied robotics, I think its a very complete research project, besides time had demostrated that when we try to imitate nature or make something inspired in it, always there is success.