Robotics

There’s a Rat in Your Drainpipe

What’s he a-gonna do? Save your life after an earthquake? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe he has other intentions which are not wholly altruistic

Image credit: Qing Shi, professor and the vice-director of the intelligent robotics institute at the Beijing Institute of Technology via ieee.org

There’s a new robotic rat on the block. I’m going to call him Roland Robrat in honour of a much loved British puppet star. Yes, Roland Rat.

The latest robot rat is the creation (invention?) of a team at the Beijing Institute of Technology led by Professr Shi Qing and researchers at Tsinghua University.

Puppet Roland was cool.

Really cool.

Uncool

But this new robot rat looks a bit more clinical, more intent and lacking fun. Uncool.

I’ll grant that he’s a nifty looking creature although I’m not sure what purpose his tail serves. That set me wondering. I mean, why DO rats have tails? Well the answer is ‘for heat control and balance’.