iRobot and University of Chicago researchers debuted a new chemical robot prototype at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in St. Louis last week. Dubbed the “Blob Bot,” the soft, morphing, mobile robot can convert from a liquid-like to solid-like state, permitting it to slide through small openings.
A useful skill, but not one that makes for an aesthetically-pleasing appearance.
“The love child of a beating heart and a wad of Silly Putty,” CNet called Blob Bot, adding “keep it away from us.”
“A fleshy, gooey, oozey monstrosity,” wrote Popfi.
“An inflating marshmellow,” suggested MIT Technology Review.
Ouch. Blob Bot, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, won’t win any beauty contests, but it does portend a more human-like appearance for humanoid robots.
The blog Next Big Future compared Blob Bot to existing exoskeletons — which all share a very metallic bias, as if a replica of The Iron Giant is the best future personal robotics consumers can hope for.
Blob Bot’s state of matter is controlled by process called “jamming,” which alters the amount of air within a flexible skin. The skin then expands or contracts to equalize the air pressure, letting the robot assume the desired shape and volume. Watch this video for a visual explanation.
As we wrote in this space in May: “We should expect to see in the next ten to fifteen years a new generation of more streamlined, compact robotic designs that will demonstrate more sophisticated types of movement and expression—making current humanoid models appear clumsy in comparison.”
Blob Bot appears to be a step in that direction.
