November 10, 2011

Venus Flybots Can Trap Food for Ecobot

Remember the Ecobot, the one that can run on insects, sewage or garbage? Now there are two prototypes of Venus Fly Traps that may be able to feed it without human intervention. The University of Maine in Orono has artificial muscles coated with electrodes with a current that bends it. When an insect lands, voltage from sensors triggers a greater power source to apply opposite charges to the leaves and they are attracted to each other and close up. SNU in South Korea uses a clamshell-shaped piece of carbon fiber as a leaf and a metal spring that closes in when something lands on it. A current reopens the spring.

Via New Scientist