Before going to the Pavillion, I decided to try and familiarize myself with the Navy's SBIR program. I first began by reading through the Powerpoints sent to me earlier by Prof Dougherty. The slide listing the different platforms the Navy needed technology for caught my eye. It occurred to me that the flexbot could be further adapted if necessary to perform non reconnaissance missions. Being able to safely navigate a boat or submarine just as easily as a human, it could also then possibly be used for special warfare or weapons systems.
Next I went through the SBIR website to get a more detailed understanding of how the program works and how proposals needed to be submitted. To get an idea of the kinds of innovations SBIR has chosen in the past i reviewed some of their success stories. As I was flipping through the pages of the 2007 edition I came across Bluefin Electronics Corporation. This company developed pressure tolerant batteries for autonomous undersea applications. Though the flexbot's main purpose is not to be entirely submerged all the time this technology might serve as a welcome addition to the robot. The technology minimizes leakage problems found in other battery types, and can function in a variety of temperatures and pressures. The battery packs are rechargeable and claim to have longer life than comparable alternatives.
I will spend the remaining few minutes looking over the format for the proposal.
Hours 10:15
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Internship Day 3
Today I continued researching existing snake robots. I began by watching several videos of the omnitread robot in action. My initial reaction was that the robot was extremely slow in maneuvering around and over obstacles. I feel as if this would be impractical for use on navy ships for example or other marine vessels where timing can be very critical.
While looking through the videos on youtube I came across several other snake-like robots. One of which I found more interesting than the others. Its called Anna Konda and it is designed to act as a firefighter. SINTEF also designed and developed two other snake robots: the Pneumosnake and the Aiko. All of which I can research more later if necessary after I have completed the analysis on the for given to me by Professor Dougherty.
The last two video links were two different videos of the same robot showing different aspects of its capabilities. The first was its ability to climb over objects and the second it speed and maneuverability on the ground. These videos also included footage of a snake robot with the ability to swim underwater as well as maneuver on land.
I was able to find the website that details the design and work done on these two robots. I discovered that the first prototype was developed in 1972 and it required a cord for power. The second model that came out in 1995 was wireless and aimed to mimic the movements and mobility of a snake. This design was improved upon in 2004 with a snake robot with added mobility including the ability to make sharp 90 degree turns. In 2005, the amphibious snake-robot was released. This robot has the ability to maneuver on land and in the water by means of mimicking the mobility and movements of a snake. However, the company admites that it is still having technical difficulties with both of it newer models. Through watching some of the videos on its movement in the water I noticed that it not only had the ability to swim on the surface and dive but it also had the ability to swim both forwards and backwards. Though this may not be a necessary component of the Flexbot, it might be useful for exploring partially or completely submerged vessels.
In 1999, the same robotics lab produced "Slim Slime Robot" for the purposes of accomplishing tasks that were too dangerous for humans such as " in-pipe inspection at chemical or nuclear energy plants and the rescue of victims under collapsed houses". However, given that the robot is not wireless (as seen in the videos and pictures) this design would be impractical for use on marine vessels. Additionally, it cylindrical design also seems impractical in terms of mobility on a ship.
The website listed several other robots which I can continue to research at a later date.
Hours 8:15
While looking through the videos on youtube I came across several other snake-like robots. One of which I found more interesting than the others. Its called Anna Konda and it is designed to act as a firefighter. SINTEF also designed and developed two other snake robots: the Pneumosnake and the Aiko. All of which I can research more later if necessary after I have completed the analysis on the for given to me by Professor Dougherty.
The last two video links were two different videos of the same robot showing different aspects of its capabilities. The first was its ability to climb over objects and the second it speed and maneuverability on the ground. These videos also included footage of a snake robot with the ability to swim underwater as well as maneuver on land.
I was able to find the website that details the design and work done on these two robots. I discovered that the first prototype was developed in 1972 and it required a cord for power. The second model that came out in 1995 was wireless and aimed to mimic the movements and mobility of a snake. This design was improved upon in 2004 with a snake robot with added mobility including the ability to make sharp 90 degree turns. In 2005, the amphibious snake-robot was released. This robot has the ability to maneuver on land and in the water by means of mimicking the mobility and movements of a snake. However, the company admites that it is still having technical difficulties with both of it newer models. Through watching some of the videos on its movement in the water I noticed that it not only had the ability to swim on the surface and dive but it also had the ability to swim both forwards and backwards. Though this may not be a necessary component of the Flexbot, it might be useful for exploring partially or completely submerged vessels.
In 1999, the same robotics lab produced "Slim Slime Robot" for the purposes of accomplishing tasks that were too dangerous for humans such as " in-pipe inspection at chemical or nuclear energy plants and the rescue of victims under collapsed houses". However, given that the robot is not wireless (as seen in the videos and pictures) this design would be impractical for use on marine vessels. Additionally, it cylindrical design also seems impractical in terms of mobility on a ship.
The website listed several other robots which I can continue to research at a later date.
Hours 8:15
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