Trending News in the Robotics Field for March 2023

Spring is finally here, but what happened in the robotics field in March 2023? In the 37th installment of What's Trending in Robotics News, we uncover the breaking developments, hot issues, and trending stories in the world of robotics over the last month. 

YouTuber Plans to Build a Ridable Robot Centipede

In one of the strangest stories in March, YouTuber and robotics engineer James Bruton revealed he's building a robot centipede that people can ride on, kind of like a small train. Yes, really. Per Hacker.io, Bruton has already tested the idea by creating a smaller robot centipede before he commits time and resources to his full-size project. 

The robot looks like a centipede with its multiple yellow legs, but Bruton admits there's still a long way to go before his dream becomes a reality. His prototype, which you can see in this YouTube video, has leg mechanisms that slide backward because of ineffective linkages, so it will be back to the drawing board for now. 

Earthworm Robots Could Explore Underground

Another story that caught our attention this month is this one out of Genova, where researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology have developed a prototype of a soft robot that can crawl like an earthworm. According to Robohub, this robot has soft actuators that squeeze and elongate when air comes out or passes through them, mimicking the muscle movements of real earthworms. Pretty cool, right?

This earthworm robot, created with locomotion mechanics, is the starting point for developing more advanced robots that explore underground, helping search and rescue teams find people during natural disasters. These robots could even support the exploration of other planets. It's just one of the many robotic inventions we've seen recently that could make a real change in the world — and other worlds!

Meet AmphiSAW, the Robot That Can Crawl and Swim

Talking about finding people during natural disasters, the clever folks at Ben-Gurion University have created a bio-friendly amphibious three-pound robot that can both crawl and swim, making it even more impressive than the earthworm robot we mentioned above. 

AmphiSAW — that's the robot's name — has the potential to rescue survivors after floods and tsunamis, thanks to its single motor and bioinspired design. Per Interesting Engineering, AmphiSAW can scale to any size and has a head attached to two rotating wheels to increase its crawling speed over different terrains. 

If this all sounds like something from a sci-fi comic, it's not, and researchers are now working on AmphiSAW's energy consumption to make it more effective when searching large areas. Remember, you heard it here first! 

Underwater Robot Spots Endangered Fish

So we've had a centipede robot, an earthworm robot, and a robot that can crawl and swim. But what about a robot that can spot endangered fish? When Israeli researchers sent an underwater robot to the Gulf of Eilat, it spotted an elusive guitarfish 80 meters below the waves. 

According to The Jerusalem Post, this robot discovery will help Israeli authorities protect unfamiliar areas of the sea and endangered species like goldfish. 

Quick Hits

• Robots could improve mental well-being at work, but it all depends on what they look like. New research from Cambridge University found people feel connected to toy robots rather than humanoid ones. 
• Despite their frosty reputation, New Yorkers have welcomed trash barrel robots in Greenwich Village with open arms, with some residents waving at the robots as they picked up trash. 
• A human-like robot called GARMI could perform patient diagnostics for the elderly, reducing workloads for healthcare practitioners. 
• A college in Sendai, Japan, created a self-propelled robot with ground-penetrating radar to search for school children still missing since the country's 2011 earthquake and tsunami.