美国研制成功“美食家”机器人
http://www.100md.com
2000年9月8日
SUNDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthSCOUT) -- Stuart Wilkinson has created a monster.
But his creation, called "Chew Chew" because it powers itself by eating, is no Frankenstein.
"The press reports claim it's this huge, man-eating monster. Except for the fact that it can't eat meat, and it's only three-feet long, they've got it exactly right," says Wilkinson, an engaging professor of mechanical engineering at the University of South Florida.
, http://www.100md.com
The robot functions by imbibing sugar cubes, which are then turned into electricity by microorganisms.
Wilkinson says he has created the first functional "gastrobot" -- a prototype for a theoretical subset of machines that will perform tasks without human intervention.
For instance, Wilkinson says a small gastrobot could patrol the gutters of your house continuously, looking for fallen leaves to eat. The leaves would power the robot and the gutters would stay clean.
, 百拇医药
Or the owner of an orange grove might have a gastrobot that patrols the trees, checking for insect infestations and probing the soil for moisture content, sending reports to the farmer's personal computer. The gastrobot would identify and eat fallen oranges and subsist indefinitely on the high-sugar content of the juice.
"We're talking about a robot that could be given a task for months or even years without any sort of human intervention," Wilkinson says.
, http://www.100md.com
There are, of course, some practical problems.
Chew Chew eats sugar cubes which break down into harmless carbon dioxide and water. A functional gastrobot would likely have a different diet.
"The problem is that if you feed it any other foods, you're going to get other solid waste which will clog it, and we have no way of disposing of those wastes right now," Wilkinson says.
The problem will require building an artificial kidney and bowel -- no small task.
, 百拇医药
Wilkinson says other challenges include finding completely harmless microorganisms in case of a leak, and making the gastrobot able to distinguish between harmful and harmless foods, so it doesn't eat what it can't digest or things that will kill its microorganisms.
Chew Chew is part of a bigger trend that is changing the way we live and work, says Jeff Burnstein of the Robot Industry Association.
"Robots are going to continue to do the things they are best at: heavy, hazardous work, " he says.
, http://www.100md.com
But Burnstein says robots also are starting to perform less-invasive, faster and more precise surgery and may be able to help keep people out of nursing homes.
"What if you had a home assistant who could help you to the bathroom and help you cook your meals?"
Although a generation of robots descended from Chew Chew could help people immensely, Wilkinson predicts that practical applications are at least 10 years down the road.
For now, he just introduced his "monster" -- with all its flaws -- at a robot convention in Hawaii.
"This is the first one, and the first one is always very limited. But it is also very exciting," he says., http://www.100md.com(Thomas D. Schram)
But his creation, called "Chew Chew" because it powers itself by eating, is no Frankenstein.
"The press reports claim it's this huge, man-eating monster. Except for the fact that it can't eat meat, and it's only three-feet long, they've got it exactly right," says Wilkinson, an engaging professor of mechanical engineering at the University of South Florida.
, http://www.100md.com
The robot functions by imbibing sugar cubes, which are then turned into electricity by microorganisms.
Wilkinson says he has created the first functional "gastrobot" -- a prototype for a theoretical subset of machines that will perform tasks without human intervention.
For instance, Wilkinson says a small gastrobot could patrol the gutters of your house continuously, looking for fallen leaves to eat. The leaves would power the robot and the gutters would stay clean.
, 百拇医药
Or the owner of an orange grove might have a gastrobot that patrols the trees, checking for insect infestations and probing the soil for moisture content, sending reports to the farmer's personal computer. The gastrobot would identify and eat fallen oranges and subsist indefinitely on the high-sugar content of the juice.
"We're talking about a robot that could be given a task for months or even years without any sort of human intervention," Wilkinson says.
, http://www.100md.com
There are, of course, some practical problems.
Chew Chew eats sugar cubes which break down into harmless carbon dioxide and water. A functional gastrobot would likely have a different diet.
"The problem is that if you feed it any other foods, you're going to get other solid waste which will clog it, and we have no way of disposing of those wastes right now," Wilkinson says.
The problem will require building an artificial kidney and bowel -- no small task.
, 百拇医药
Wilkinson says other challenges include finding completely harmless microorganisms in case of a leak, and making the gastrobot able to distinguish between harmful and harmless foods, so it doesn't eat what it can't digest or things that will kill its microorganisms.
Chew Chew is part of a bigger trend that is changing the way we live and work, says Jeff Burnstein of the Robot Industry Association.
"Robots are going to continue to do the things they are best at: heavy, hazardous work, " he says.
, http://www.100md.com
But Burnstein says robots also are starting to perform less-invasive, faster and more precise surgery and may be able to help keep people out of nursing homes.
"What if you had a home assistant who could help you to the bathroom and help you cook your meals?"
Although a generation of robots descended from Chew Chew could help people immensely, Wilkinson predicts that practical applications are at least 10 years down the road.
For now, he just introduced his "monster" -- with all its flaws -- at a robot convention in Hawaii.
"This is the first one, and the first one is always very limited. But it is also very exciting," he says., http://www.100md.com(Thomas D. Schram)