Today, machines can carry out everything from complex operations to the collection of minerals on various planets. This new race of smart machines are now beginning to undertake complex tasks in hazardous environments. During these tasks, there are many instances in which robots can do what people can’t. Find out how six of these incredible robots help us keep our ecosystem clean in dangerous conditions which are too unpleasant for living organisms to withstand. Such robots depends on smart sensors for functioning (Chakraborty and Gupta, 2017)
NUKE CLEANER
Those who clear waste for evacuated or dysfunctional nuclear power plants must take serious prevention measures. Specially designed clothes are worn for handling sensitive equipment which has been exposed to radiation. The area where they handle these items is called a hot zone, however, close attention must be paid to the amount of time spent within the area. Prolonged time spent in hot zones can cause harmful side effects in humans.
For LATRO, a robot that resembles a spider created by Forth Engineering, physical limitations do not exist. Although this kitchen table sized robot can use its artificial intelligent software (Chakraborty and Kar, 2016; Chakraborty and Kar, 2017) to make decisions, it still requires remote control. Other intelligent robots have difficulty working in agitated environments. Latro demonstrates the control and flexibility to withstand all types of harsh conditions.
DISSOLVED AIR FLOATATION
Dissolved air flotation is a wastewater treatment method which purifies water by the removal of suspended substances. When it is dissolved under pressure, air is drained. The waste water is then released into a floating tank under atmospheric pressure. Small bubbles then form from released air, which causes the suspended material to float to the water surface. A skimming device then removes this material from the surface and adds chemicals to the water supply for better removal of solids.
These DAF units are generally used in the food and drinking industries to treat industrial wastewater. These products remove pollutants and suspended solids to recycle water so that it can be sanitary for wastewater processing plants. Sensors can detect pollution and change of composition (Chakraborty and Gupta, 2016).
REEF PROTECTOR
Globally, coral reefs are threatened by invasive species and rising sea temperatures. Australian engineers have developed a unique defense against threats to the Great Barrier Reef. The reef’s protector is named RangerBot, a three foot, torpedo-shaped robot that hunts by using cameras and acoustic sensors. It scans reefs to identify various species of sea life and attacks those which cause damage. For example, it is known to inject deadly poison into Crown of Thorns Starfish, which is one of the reef’s major threats.
Now it is undergoing tests because the RangerBot’s developers plan to launch up to 50 bots into the Moreton Bay and Great Barrier Reef 2019. The team has developed the robot carefully to reduce risks for people in the water. It only works in some depths and has a system of preventing obstacles that deter it from too much human interaction.
FIREFIGHTER’S FRIEND
Wildfires are becoming more common. Damaging catastrophes can be just as harmful to people as they are to grasslands and property. But Indago, a radio-controlled drone, has infrared sensors at its disposal, which helps it detect a fire in the precise area of danger, and then works in accordance with airborne tankers to ensure that water drops down precisely to eliminate flames.
In Australia, these drones were operated earlier than in the USA. Martin Lockheed created Indago to support on-site operators via live video streams. They then use the footage to detect places where fire can potentially engulf individuals and enclosed properties.
SEWER SCRAPER
A robot named Luigi does the dirty work that most people would be happy to leave for someone else: waste collection. Engineers at Senseable City Lab at MIT developed this cylindrical robot to take samples by submerging itself into manholes. Luigi determines if the gathered samples consist of contaminants, infectious disorders, or even hint to illegal use of drugs in the community. In this way, the specimens can be used to notify officials on possible public health issues.
So, you see, there are many machines who are doing the work that humans won’t or can’t do, and this is helping humans stay safe. It’s an amazing world we live in with so much technology to help us do dangerous or unsanitary work.
References
Chakraborty, A., & Gupta, B. (2016). Development of compact 180° phase shifters based on MEMS technology. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 247, 187-198.
Chakraborty, A., & Gupta, B. (2017). Utility of RF MEMS miniature switched capacitors in phase shifting applications. AEU-International Journal of Electronics and Communications, 75, 98-107.
Chakraborty, A., & Kar, A. K. (2016). A review of bio-inspired computing methods and potential applications. In Proceedings of the international conference on signal, networks, computing, and systems (pp. 155-161). Springer, New Delhi.
Chakraborty, A., & Kar, A. K. (2017). Swarm intelligence: A review of algorithms. In Nature-Inspired Computing and Optimization (pp. 475-494). Springer, Cham.