Kid-friendly inflatable robot for space and home
Students use a computer system, connected to microchips within the robot, to inflate or deflate parts of the NASA-funded robot to make it move.
UTAH (Reuters) - Academics in the U.S. are developing an inflatable robot they say could one day be used in space and in our homes.
Brigham Young University (BYU), in Provo, Utah, created the robot which they call King Louie. It is made of fabric and its interior is similar to that of a bike tyre.
Students use a computer system, connected to microchips within the robot, to inflate or deflate parts of the NASA-funded robot to make it move.
The benefits of making a robot inflatable are that they cannot hurt people, they are light and can be deflated to make them easily-transportable, the university says.
"For NASA that s interesting because if it s small and if it s lightweight, it s cheaper and easier to send it up into space," mechanical engineering department professor at Brigham Young University (BYU), Marc Killpack, said.
Another benefit is it cheaper to produce than a traditional robot.
Its hardware was inspiration for the character Baymax in the 2014 Disney animated film Big Hero 6, according to Killpack.
BYU says inflatable robots could be used to reach difficult areas in search and rescue efforts, to help old or disabled people or to even service satellites in space.
The challenge for academics now is to make King Louie s movements precise.
They predict aspects of its technology could be seen more widely in the next five to 10 years.
"King Louie and just more generally soft robots will revolutionize the way that people interact with robots," Killpack said.
