Robo-Whiskers Aid Navigation in the Dark

Aug-06-15 Taking inspiration from cats and rats, researchers have created a robo-whisker system that could be used to improve tracking and navigation in the dark.

The whiskers are made up of extremely flexible Nitinol wires that have been coated with a plastic straw. Strain gauges attached at the bottom of each wire track the motion of the whisker, enabling the system to produce a topographic or 2D cross-sectional image of the air- or water-flow, respectively.

The team hopes the whisker system could be used to augment existing navigational systems, and could even find its way into biomedical applications, such as tracking the posting of a catheter tip during cardiac surgery.

Image: The whiskers being tested as they measure the force of air from a hair dryer.

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[CO.UK]
[GIZMAG.COM]

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