Aerodynamic tail, like a cheetah, improves maneuvers and speed of robots

Cheetahs demonstrate amazing precision and agility at high speeds, thanks in part to their

tail.Translating this performance to robots will allow them to navigate natural terrain more easily. However, adding a tail to a robot comes with disadvantages such as increased mass, high inertia, and higher cost of energy to power the machine.

Researchers from the robotics laboratoryCarnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with the University of Cape Town, has found ways to overcome these problems, inspired by the cheetah's tail. The results were published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

The predator's light fluffy tail acts asa kind of parachute. Most robotic tails have high inertia, but the cheetah manages to keep it low. Inertia is a physical property that describes an object's resistance to changes in motion. The tails of cheetahs use aerodynamic drag to achieve high forces without much inertia.

Traditionally, engineers have used in roboticsinertial tails. However, the study showed that aerodynamic ones are not only preferable due to their unique qualities, but are also much lighter. This means that the “tailed” robot will be much more maneuverable and consume less energy.

In general, the authors of the article note that the robot witha tail, for example, accelerates faster than a robot without it, despite the increase in mass. This means that the robot has better control over its movements - slowing down, accelerating or turning.

“The tails help stabilize the robot, whichvery important when he performs difficult maneuvers. We believe that increasing the maneuverability of robots will help our robots better help people outside the laboratory, ”the study authors emphasize.

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