Researchers of the University of Michigan have studied ways to assist robots during mid air orientation so that they can maneuver better on space, just to realize that mammals like cats and cheetahs had already been used an effective method to quickly move in mid-air by moving their tails to the opposite direction that they want to move.
Lizard-like tails were also tested but researchers found that mammals-style lighter tails are better to make robots rotate their bodies in mid-air to make them have a better mobility in space.
Why a cat tail?
A vertebrates tail allows the robot to have more stability in rough areas where a normal robot will have to slow down to safety pass trough, but a robot with a cat tail can use their tail to adjust their weight so that they don’t need to slow down to maneuver trough rough areas.
RELATED STORIES
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/robot-makes-high-speed-turns-with-a-flick-of-its-cheetah-tail/
https://www.inceptivemind.com/cheetah-inspired-tails-help-create-more-agile-robots/18639/
https://interestingengineering.com/science/mammal-tail-robot-for-space
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/robotics-and-ai/articles/10.3389/frobt.2024.1399012/full
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