{"674367":{"#nid":"674367","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Why Can\u2019t Robots Outrun Animals?","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERobots that can run, jump, and even talk have shifted from the stuff of science fiction to reality in the past few decades. Yet even in robots specialized for specific movements like running, animals are still able to outmaneuver the most advanced robotic developments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/simon-sponberg\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESimon Sponberg\u003C\/a\u003E recently collaborated with researchers at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EUniversity of Washington\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sfu.ca\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESimon Fraser University\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.colorado.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EUniversity of Colorado Boulder\u003C\/a\u003E, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sri.com\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EStanford Research Institute\u003C\/a\u003E to answer one deceptively complex question: Why can\u2019t robots outrun animals?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis work is about trying to understand how, despite have some really amazing robots, there still seems to be a gulf between the capabilities of animal movement and what we can engineer,\u201d says Sponberg, who is Dunn Family Associate Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERecently published in \u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.adi9754\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EScience Robotics\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003C\/em\u003E their study systematically examines a suite of biological and robotic runners to figure out how to further advance our best robotic designs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn robotics design we are often very component focused \u2014 we are used to having to establish specifications for the parts that we need and then finding the best component solution,\u201d said Sponberg, who also serves on the executive committee for Georgia Tech\u0027s \u003Ca href=\u0022neuro.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ENeuro Next Initiative\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThis is of course not how evolution works. We wondered if we systematically analyzed the performance of animals in the same component way that we design robots, if we might see an obvious gap.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe gap turns out not to be in the function of individual robotic components, but rather the ability of those components to work together in the seamless way biological components do, highlighting a field of opportunity for new research in robotic development.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis means that the frontier is not necessarily figuring out how to design better motors or sensors or controllers,\u201d says Sponberg, \u201cbut rather how to integrate them together \u2014 this is where biology really excels.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERead more about man versus machine and the future of bioinspired robotics \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ece.uw.edu\/spotlight\/why-animals-can-outrun-robots\/\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech Researcher Collaborates to Advance Bioinspired Design"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Researcher Simon Sponberg collaborates to ask why robotic advancements have yet to outpace animals \u2014 and look at what we can learn from biology to engineer new robotic designs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech Researcher Simon Sponberg collaborates to ask why robotic advancements have yet to outpace animals \u2014 and look at what we can learn from biology to engineer new robotic designs."}],"uid":"35575","created_gmt":"2024-04-24 19:31:58","changed_gmt":"2024-05-02 20:25:23","author":"adavidson38","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-05-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-05-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673838":{"id":"673838","type":"image","title":"mCLARI_Spider.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003ECan this small robot outrun a spider? Photo Credit: Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Lab, CU Boulder.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1713987354","gmt_created":"2024-04-24 19:35:54","changed":"1713987354","gmt_changed":"2024-04-24 19:35:54","alt":"Can this small robot outrun a spider? Photo Credit: Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Lab, CU Boulder.","file":{"fid":"257286","name":"mCLARI_Spider.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/24\/mCLARI_Spider.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/04\/24\/mCLARI_Spider.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3554930,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/04\/24\/mCLARI_Spider.jpg?itok=wDPfHkwN"}}},"media_ids":["673838"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/georgia-tech-partners-15m-nsf-grant-explore-muscle-dynamics","title":"Georgia Tech Partners on $15M NSF Grant to Explore Muscle Dynamics"},{"url":"https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/edge-georgia-tech-professors-awarded-curci-grants-emerging-bio-research-0","title":"On The Edge: Georgia Tech Professors Awarded Curci Grants for Emerging Bio Research"},{"url":"https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/feature\/ultrafast-flight","title":"How Insects Evolved to Ultrafast Flight (And Back)"}],"groups":[{"id":"66220","name":"Neuro"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188087","name":"go-irim"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"},{"id":"192253","name":"cos-neuro"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"181469","name":"bioinspired design"},{"id":"193266","name":"cos-research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193656","name":"Neuro Next Initiative"},{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:audra.davidson@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAudra Davidson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nResearch Communications Program Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nNeuro Next Initiative\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["audra.davidson@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}