In a recent announcement, researchers at UC Berkeley’s Biomimetic Millisystems Lab have debuted a new 3D printed robot designed to be flexible enough to maneuver under, and presumably, over nearly every object.
Named the Sprawl Tuned Autonoumous Robot (STAR), the segmented robot has two natural positions: in its default posture, its body is raised between two ski-like legs, giving it a higher profile. When it encounters a tight passage, however, it spreads its legs to flatten its body and scoot under the door with a series of fan-like feet.
According to Berkeley researchers, STAR is capable of reaching 5.2 meters per second (11.6 miles per hour) and has truly impressive maneuverability. When the bot needs to turn, it simply activates the rotors on one side of its body, giving it the ability to turn a full 360 degrees in less than a second. What’s even more impressive is that the robot can actually pivot in opposing directions almost instantaneously.
When equipped with a camera, the highly maneuverable, all-seeing, STAR system represents a terrifying addition to the growing list of surveillance bots being developed today. Lets just hope this guys will be used in a search and rescue capacity, and not a search a destroy role.
Watch a Video of the Robot in Action:
Images and Video Courtesy of UC Berkeley