Description du projet
La robotique molle «bio-inspirée» s’allie à la science des sols
Des robots biodégradables et autodéployables qui s’apparentent à des graines révolutionnent la façon dont les scientifiques surveillent et analysent l’air et la couche arable du sol. Ces robots miniaturisés remédient aux lacunes des systèmes d’analyse des données en étant capables de procéder à la détection in situ de paramètres environnementaux clés dans l’air et le sol. Développés dans le cadre du projet I-Seed, financé par l’UE, ces robots «bio-inspirés» présentent des caractéristiques morphologiques qui leur permettent de voler et de se disperser dans l’air grâce à une diffusion naturelle à l’aide d’un vecteur. Ils sont aussi capables de réagir aux variations d’humidité pour se déplacer à la surface du sol et pénétrer dans la couche arable. Grâce à leurs capteurs intégrés, ces robots enregistreront la température et les taux d’humidité, de CO2 et de mercure (Hg2+).
Objectif
"I-Seed aims at developing a new generation of self-deployable and biodegradable soft miniaturized robots, inspired by the morphology and dispersion abilities of plant seeds, to perform a low-cost, environmentally responsible, in-situ detection of key environmental parameters in air and topsoil.
Seeds dispersal strategies are driven by the spontaneous, often reversible, anisotropic deformation of their tissues upon swelling or drying of cell walls, and do not require any control or internal energy supply.
Following a bioinspired design, these skills will be implemented into seed-like robots by using multi-functional biodegradable materials and natural morphological features, which endow them with the ability to fly and disperse via natural vector-mediated diffusion in air, or to respond to humidity variations to move on terrain surface and self-penetrate in topsoil. Sensing will be based on diffusion, absorption, and structural changes of parts of the robots made from sensor materials with a chemical transduction mechanism and fluorescence-based optical readout. Recordings of temperature, humidity, CO2 and mercury (Hg2+) will be executed at air-soil interface. Deployment of the I-Seed robots and reading of the acquired measurements will be performed using drones. Seed-drone communication will rely on optical signaling and fluorescence based on Light Detection and Ranging technology (fLiDAR), and using photonic ""tags"" to impart different type of sensors and robots a unique response. Algorithms will be developed such that drones can map the robots in air and on the ground.
By merging bioinspired soft robotics, material science, nanocomposite technologies, and environmental science, I-Seed will address the specific challenge by building a radically new dynamic scenario for analyzing and monitoring air and topsoil environments and their interface, extending environmental sensor networks and filling existing gaps of data analysis systems.
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Champ scientifique
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata science
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciences
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorssmart sensors
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticssoft robotics
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticsautonomous robotsdrones
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinateur
16163 Genova
Italie