No GPS required: robots can go home
The new "Ant Robot" designed by the researchers weighs 2.3 kilograms and has 6 feet. It is equipped with an optical compass and an optical motion sensor pointing to the sun. It can explore the surrounding environment and go home by itself like a desert ant.
Image source: US "Daily Science" website
According to a recent report by the US "Daily Science" website, French researchers have been inspired by desert ants to develop a new "ant robot" (AntBot), which is the first to freely explore the surrounding environment without the need for a global positioning system (GPS). And automatically return to the walking robot. This research opens up new avenues for autonomous vehicles and robotic navigation.
The human eye is not sensitive to polarized light and ultraviolet radiation, but ants use it to position themselves. Cataglyphis desert ants are particularly prominent in this respect. They can walk hundreds of meters in the desert under direct sunlight to find food. Then return straight to the nest without getting lost.
Researchers point out that the extraordinary navigational talent of desert ants relies on two pieces of information: using a "celestial compass" to measure the heading with the sun's polarized light to position itself; by simply calculating the number of steps taken and combining them with the sun The exercise rate measures the distance traveled. Once the two basic information of distance and heading are combined, they can go back to the nest smoothly.
The new "Ant Robot" designed by researchers at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Aix-Marseille (AMU) replicates the superior navigation capabilities of desert ants. The robot is equipped with an optical compass for determining the direction of its advancement by polarized light; and measuring the distance traveled by an optical motion sensor pointing to the sun.
In the experiment, the "ant robot" can use this information to explore the surrounding environment like a desert ant and go home after 14 meters, with an accuracy of 1 cm. Weighing only 2.3 kilograms and having 6 feet, the robot can move in wheeled robots and drones in difficult environments (such as disaster areas, rugged terrain, exploring alien soils, etc.).
The researchers pointed out that "ant robots" also help scientists further strengthen their understanding of how desert ants navigate. However, before using the robot as an aerospace robot or in the automotive industry, they must clarify how to operate the robot at night or longer.
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