Robot Reviews

If Roomba collects dust, then the Chembot can easily end up in the dust pan.

In this year's IROS, an International Conference of the Intelligent RObots and Systems, iRobot showcased what it has accomplished so far with its squishy crawling robot. The robot is enclosed in a skin driven by what the researchers dub as 'jamming' technology.

A jamming skin is an elastic polymer capable of changing shape. As different compartments inflate and deflate, the alternate deformations allow the robot (imagine a blob) to roll over a surface. But that's not all, the jamming locomotion system can do - it can also allow the entire blob to morph from liquid-like to a solid-like form. Here's a video that shows how the technology works.

Why would iRobot invent something as squishy as the Chembot?

Funded by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the Chembot is a joint project between iRobot and the University of Chicago. The ultimate objective is to come up with a robot that would be able to squeeze through cracks and other narrow openings. Since DARPA's highly responsible for its development, there is reason to believe the Chembot will end up among the military's futuristic units - under reconnaissance perhaps? =)

Another iRobot machine, the PackBot, was already involved in numerous reconnaissance missions in Iraq and is now assisting US troops in Afghanistan. 

In another iRobot-related development, the iRobot PackBot will soon be acquiring sense of touch. Read more about it by clicking that link. On a lighter note, you might want to view some cool images, courtesy of iRobot's more popular creation - the Roomba.