Skip to main content

Human Robot

Of course, I know that Mr. Gray is a huge robotics guy.  This blog is an attempt for me to suck up to maybe get some extra points toward my grade in this class.  I decided to google "science news" and find what came up.  I found a cool website called sciencenews.org.  I guess scientists aren't that creative when coming up with names for things.  I found a very interesting article about a boy named Kengoro.


Image result for science news
Kengoro is not your typical teenage boy.  Although he has the same body structure and proportions as other teens, Kengoro is actually a robot.  He was created at the University of Tokyo by an engineer named Masayuki Inaba and his colleagues.  The robot is named Kengoro, and he is completely life sized.  I'm not really sure if I can call a robot a "he," but, for the purpose of this blog, I will. 

humanoid robot




Kengoro is a very advanced boy robot.  He is able to do physical activity for 20 minutes at a time, and is powered by batteries in each leg.  It is absolutely mind blowing that this robot is also able to do pushups, sit-ups, and pushups.  Even more incredible is the fact that this robot can go up on his tip toes.  
Image result for kengoro
Reading this article, I was first very skeptical.  Of course I love technology and I use it all the time, but what is the purpose of making robots that can do what humans do? If these robots have the same strength and artificial intelligence that humans do, many people would be out of jobs and it would be honestly creepy to walk around and see robots out there living their lives while you were trying to live yours.  This article put some of my fears to rest.  There are different things that this robot could be used for that would greatly help the human population.  
Image result for robots walking cartoon
At this point in time, test dummies are used to see what would happen to a human if their car were to get into an accident.  They are needed often when new models of cars come out and are used in many studies.  This robot or other models like it could be used in place of test dummies.  Since Kengoro is so anatomically correct, the tears in his "muscles", the hits to his head, and whether or not he is thrown from the car would be very accurate compared to a human.  This would obviously help because it will help humans to be safer when driving and survive more car accident. Image result for test dummy

Another useful place for this robot is in the development of prosthetics.  Being able to create humanlike muscles is an amazing advancement in science.  It is interesting how closely physics and medicine interact.  There are so many people who need prosthetics.  Some people are born without limbs, others lose them due to cancers, and still others lose them to tragedies such as war and car accidents.  It is amazing that researchers are doing things to help these people.  
Image result for prosthetic

fun fact: Kengoro can also play badminton. 

link to the article: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/boy-robot-passes-agility-tests?mode=topic&context=96


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Physics of Sound Dampeners and Active Noise Cancellation

Physics of Sound Dampeners and Active Noise Cancellation Sound dampening foam panels in a recording studio. ANC headphones worn by pilots and/or passengers in consumer aviation aircraft.  Acoustic treatment of soundscapes has grown alongside the sound production industry. Whether through absorption panels, diffusors and cloud panels to treat a space or headphones placed directly over the ears of listeners, acoustic treatment comes in many forms. Environments are treated acoustically to absorb excess sound to prevent sound levels from crossing a threshold above which the desired goal cannot be had. Before getting into sound dampening, we must discuss sound. Sound is produced when an object vibrates (a form of oscillation) and temporarily displaces nearby air molecules causing a wave effect as the displaced molecules collide with their neighboring molecules. Sound waves are fluctuations in pressure as the initial displacement of molecules experiences collisions that in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. The LHC is the largest machine in the world. It took thousands of scientists, engineers and technicians decades to plan and build, and it continues to operate at the very boundaries of scientific knowledge. It first started up on 10 September 2008, and remains the latest addition to CERN’s accelerator complex. The LHC consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way. Map of LHC (located in Geneva, Switzerland) Thousands of magnets of different varieties and sizes are used to direct the beams around the accelerator.  Just prior to collision, another type of magnet is used to "squeeze" the particles closer together to increase the chances of collisions. The particles are so tiny that the task of making them collide is akin to firing two needles 10 kilometres apart with suc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Aerodynamics of a Golf Ball

One may wonder how a small golf ball can travel at incredibly high speeds for such long distances.  While the swing of the club is a major component, the structure of the golf ball is quite important.  Unlike a baseball or tennis ball, a golf ball has dimples all over it (usually 336 dimples).  These dimples allow the golf ball to travel without facing much air resistance.  This diagram shows how air travels around the golf ball. The dimples on the golf ball also prevent drag that would occur in the wake region, resulting in further distance.  Also due to the contact with the club during the swing, the golf ball has backspin during its entire flight.  This diagram shows the motion of the golf ball mid flight with the lift force of F. There are hundreds of different types of golf balls that a player can choose.  Some show little affect to a player's game while others can alter their performance completely.  Personally, I prefer Callaway Supers...
Post a Comment
Read more