10 Incredible Robots That Mimic Animals

4. SpiderBot
At the Institute for Computational Design in Stuttgart, Germany, researchers
recently created what they call a “Mobile Robotic Fabrication System for Filament
Structures.” The system deploys teams of tiny robots with spools of carbon fiber,
which work together to weave nifty things like hammocks. In designing their system,
engineers mimicked the design of nature’s own weavers for their tiny robots: spiders.
The team plans to scale the system up, using more robots to complete even more
complex designs and are working on giving them the ability to cling to curved or
slippery surfaces.

3. CockroachBot
UC Berkeley biomechanist Robert Full has spent years studying the movements of
animals and their potential applications toward robotics. Intrigued by the ability of
cockroaches to squeeze into practically any space despite having a hard shell, Full
investigated and found that roaches use a unique movement. Then, they took what
they learned and built a robotic roach.
The RoboRoach is part of an emerging field of soft robotics, which uses pliable
materials like polymers in place of metal and hard circuit boards. The robotic insects,
cheap and easy to manufacture, performed just like real roaches do in tight spaces,
and could be used in disaster areas, war zones or other dangerous areas to help
locate those in need of help or evaluate the stability of such areas before human
rescue workers enter.

2. Robirds

The problem of nuisance birds has long been one with no real solution. Birds often
like to stick around once they’ve found an area they like, and excess foraging and
crop damage are not even the most serious issues. Birds can also disrupt flight paths
and spread disease.
Enter Clear Flight Solutions, a company that has put forth a product they are calling
the “RoBird.” It’s a lifelike model of a raptor, and in tests, they’ve been shown to
reduce nuisance bird activity in targeted areas by up to 50 percent. This is because
the robot features realistic wing movement, and birds are naturally inclined to
register the shape of another bird’s silhouette and the movement of their wings to
determine whether they are predators.
The RoBird can also be used to single out and chase away particularly stubborn birds.
While they are currently controlled wirelessly by an operator on the ground, an
autonomous version is currently in development.

1. Cyborg Stingray

An international team of scientists headed by Harvard researcher Kit Parker

produced an artificial stingray that mimics the swimming motions of the real thing.
While this may seem par for the course compared to the other entries on this list,
their stingray is not technically a robot. It was constructed with both artificial and
biological components, and in the truest sense of the word is actually a cyborg.
The team used a neutrally charged gold skeleton, overlaid by a thin polymer skin.
Woven throughout are over 200,000 cells derived from rat hearts, called
cardiomyocytes.
Photosensitive versions of these cells are lined up on top of the stingray, and its
navigation is controlled by changing the frequency and pulses of light directed
toward it. Light also causes its muscles to contract, supplying the downward motion
of the fins. The gold skeleton has energy storing properties, helping supply the
downward motion.
Not only could research of this type lead to significant advancement in newer
generations of automated robots, but it could also help us gain a better
understanding of the human heart and other fluid-moving muscular functions. It
could even pave the way for future iterations of lifelike, cyborg animals—or even
humans.
Taken from: http://listverse.com/2016/08/10/10-incredible-robots-that-mimic-
animals/