The world of robotics is populated by mechanical beings of very diverse shapes and natures. Among them are some rather unusual robots: they can grow and move like plants.
We knew about this robot that can walk, roll and fly. We obviously knew Atlas, the little gem from Boston Dynamics capable of physical feats surpassing a good majority of humans. More recently, Tesla’s Optimus Gen 2 has also shown its talents in terms of skill. The FiloBot is capable of imitating the growth of a plant to sneak almost anywhere. Sure, it’s slower and a little less spectacular, but from a technical point of view, it’s quite fascinating.
Self-Growing Autonomous Robots
This very particular type of robot is inspired by climbing plants, and in particular their adaptive strategies which allow them to survive in irregular environments. These robots are equipped with an integrated system, a mini 3D printer in this case, which allows them to produce the material necessary to gradually grow. At their end, a sensor directs their growth. This is guided by a set of different external stimuli – shadow, light and gravity – which can be compared to the tropism of plants. Tropism is the biological phenomenon that allows a plant to grow in a certain direction in response to an environmental stimulus.
Their abilities to navigate their way through complex environments is quite remarkable. They can, for example, wrap themselves around vertical supports and reduce their energy expenditure by creating anchor points on their support to ensure their evolution. Depending on environmental parameters, they can develop a light or robust structure to evolve more efficiently.
The FiloBot, the climbing robot that sneaks everywhere
The FiloBot comes straight from the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa. It is able to grow on its own thanks to its head, which prints its own body in the form of a cylinder by melting and extruding plastic. Connected to a base by a pipe, it is constantly supplied with plastic and can thus grow by a few millimeters per hour.
Emanuela Del Dottore, a roboticist from the Italian institute, speaks about this innovation “ we are fascinated by the many different characteristics of plants that allow them to conquer very difficult and changing environments “. It is possible that one day this type of machine like the FiloBot will find its use in search and rescue missions, during emergency situations for example. Major earthquakes, among others, which sometimes cause collapses, would be ideal intervention contexts for them. Indeed, their slow growth can represent an advantage when it comes to exploring unstable rubble in search of potential victims.
Sources: Nature, Google Scholar
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