Why robots should take more inspiration from plants
They would be able to grow, grip and move in more useful ways
The enormous titular robots of the “Transformers” universe, a popular franchise spanning toys, TV series, video games and films, move along the ground in one of two ways. On wheels, when they are shaped like vehicles; on giant humanoid feet when they are not. For decades, most real-world robots also fell neatly into these two fictional paradigms.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Putting the bot in botany”
From the April 6th 2024 edition
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