Biomimetic "Bat-Bot"
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 08.27.05
It's always good to discover another instance of biomimicry. But who would have thought the next example would be a design based on the ear of a bat. Belgian researchers from the University of Antwerp have invented this tiny robot called the "Bat-Bot". The robot can use echolocation just like flesh-and-blood bats to distinguish one type of plant from another -- something most of us couldn't do with a guidebook and magnifying glass. Although Bat-Bot doesn't fly, it's a major step forward in using sonar or sound waves in the air, and an important development for autonomous or self-navigating robots.
Simply watching bats fly in densely packed flocks and catch insects in total darkness shows that sonar is a highly successful general-purpose perception system, the researchers said.
:: Wired News
I have always wondered why scientist don't look more to nature to solve problems. Nature seems to come up with some of the best all around solutions to problems. If we tried to make machines based more on nature, I think that would go a long way to making human creations more sustainable.