Scientists have developed snake- and cockroach-shaped robots to explore tight spaces, but mice are also very good at squeezing through narrow openings and traversing uneven terrain.
A team led by Professor Qing Shi from Beijing Institute of Technology in China is developing the mouse robot SQuRo based on the characteristics of mice. SQuRo sounds like a name for a robotic squirrel, but it actually stands for “Small-sized Quadruped Robotic rat.”
SQuRo is based on the body size and shape of the Rattus norvegicus. The SQuRo robot has two degrees of freedom for each of its four legs, two for its waist and two for its head. This setup replicates the long, flexible spine of an actual mouse and enables the robot to flex and turn around quickly.
The minimum turning radius of the SQuRo robot is only 0.48 body length, which is much smaller than other quadruped robots of similar size. SQuRo is slimmer and lighter than similar robots. It is reported that it weighs only 220 grams and can carry up to 200 grams of cargo, such as cameras or other sensors.
In addition, the SQuRo robot can right itself after a fall, squeeze through irregular passages as narrow as 90mm, walk over obstacles as high as 30mm, and maintain a steady state of motion while climbing a 15-degree slope.
The movement of the SQuRo robot is controlled by an on-board microprocessor that automatically switches between four basic modes of motion based on detected ground reaction forces – the latter defined as “the ground exerted on the body in contact with it” force”.
In the future, SQuRo could be used to perform tasks such as searching for survivors at disaster sites or conducting inspections in hard-to-reach areas.
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