 |
|
Robot learns to fly
August 14, 2002EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY 14 AUGUST 2002 19:00 BST
UK CONTACT - Claire Bowles, New Scientist Press Office, London:
Tel: +44(0)20 7331 2751 or email claire.bowles@rbi.co.uk
LEARNING how to fly took nature millions of years of trial and error. But a winged robot has cracked it in only a few hours, using the same evolutionary principles.
Krister Wolff and Peter Nordin of Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, built a winged robot and set about testing whether it could learn to fly by itself, without any pre-programmed data on what flapping is or how to do it.
The robot had metre-long wings made from balsa wood and covered with a light plastic film. Small motors on the robot let it move its wings forwards or backwards, up or down or twist them in either direction.
The team attached the robot to two vertical rods, so it could slide up and down. At the start of a test, the robot was suspended by an elastic band. A movement detector measured how much lift, if any, the robot produced for any given movement.
A computer program fed the robot random instructions, at the rate of 20 per second, to test its flapping abilities. Each instruction told the robot either to do nothing or to move the wings slightly in the various directions.
Feedback from the movement detector let the program work out which sets of instructions were best at producing lift. The most successful ones were paired up and "offspring" sets of instructions were generated by swapping instructions randomly between successful pairs. These next-generation instructions were then sent to the robot and evaluated before breeding a new generation, and so on.
To begin with, the robot just twitched and jerked erratically. But, gradually, it made movements that gained height. At first, it cheated- simply standing on its wing tips was one early short cut. But Wolff later found that the robot had used its wings to climb up on some objects that had been left underneath the robot by mistake (see Graphic).
After three hours, however, the robot abandoned such methods in favour of a more effective flapping technique, where it rotated its wings through 90 degrees and raised them before twisting them back to the horizontal and pushing down.
While the robot had worked out how best to produce lift, it wasn`t about to take off. "This tells us that this kind of evolution is capable of coming up with flying motion," says Peter Bentley, who works on evolutionary computing at University College London. "But there`s only so much that evolution can do. This thing is never going to fly because the motors will never have the strength to do it," he says.
By Ian Sample
http://www.newscientist.com">New Scientist issue 17th August 2002
PLEASE MENTION NEW SCIENTIST AS THE SOURCE OF THIS STORY AND, IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO : http://www.newscientist.com"> http://www.newscientist.com
New Scientist
Krister Wolff and Peter Nordin of Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, built a winged robot and set about testing whether it could learn to fly by itself, without any pre-programmed data on what flapping is or how to do it.
The robot had metre-long wings made from balsa wood and covered with a light plastic film. Small motors on the robot let it move its wings forwards or backwards, up or down or twist them in either direction.
The team attached the robot to two vertical rods, so it could slide up and down. At the start of a test, the robot was suspended by an elastic band. A movement detector measured how much lift, if any, the robot produced for any given movement.
A computer program fed the robot random instructions, at the rate of 20 per second, to test its flapping abilities. Each instruction told the robot either to do nothing or to move the wings slightly in the various directions.
Feedback from the movement detector let the program work out which sets of instructions were best at producing lift. The most successful ones were paired up and "offspring" sets of instructions were generated by swapping instructions randomly between successful pairs. These next-generation instructions were then sent to the robot and evaluated before breeding a new generation, and so on.
To begin with, the robot just twitched and jerked erratically. But, gradually, it made movements that gained height. At first, it cheated- simply standing on its wing tips was one early short cut. But Wolff later found that the robot had used its wings to climb up on some objects that had been left underneath the robot by mistake (see Graphic).
After three hours, however, the robot abandoned such methods in favour of a more effective flapping technique, where it rotated its wings through 90 degrees and raised them before twisting them back to the horizontal and pushing down.
While the robot had worked out how best to produce lift, it wasn`t about to take off. "This tells us that this kind of evolution is capable of coming up with flying motion," says Peter Bentley, who works on evolutionary computing at University College London. "But there`s only so much that evolution can do. This thing is never going to fly because the motors will never have the strength to do it," he says.
By Ian Sample
http://www.newscientist.com">New Scientist issue 17th August 2002
PLEASE MENTION NEW SCIENTIST AS THE SOURCE OF THIS STORY AND, IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO : http://www.newscientist.com"> http://www.newscientist.com
New Scientist
Evolution Current Events and Evolution News RSSIs global warming unstoppable?
In a provocative new study, a University of Utah scientist argues that rising carbon dioxide emissions - the major cause of global warming - cannot be stabilized unless the world's economy collapses or society builds the equivalent of one new nuclear power plant each day.
Scientists at UA, collaborating institutions decode maize genome
Scientists from the University of Arizona led by Arizona Genomics Institute director Rod A. Wing and from collaborating institutions have deciphered the complete genetic code of the maize plant for the first time.
New Maize Map to Aid Plant Breeding Efforts
In a massive survey of genetic diversity in maize, also known as corn, researchers across the United States, have developed a gene map that should pave the way to significant improvements in a plant that is a major source of food, fuel, animal feed and fiber around the world.
'Hobbits' are a new human species -- according to the statistical analysis of fossils
Researchers from Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York have confirmed that Homo floresiensis is a genuine ancient human species and not a descendant of healthy humans dwarfed by disease.
Research challenges for understanding landscape changes identified
Nine research challenges and four research initiatives that are poised to advance the study of how Earth's landscapes change were unveiled today in a new report by the National Research Council.
Scientists Unravel Evolution of Highly Toxic Box Jellyfish
With thousands of stinging cells that can emit deadly venom from tentacles that can reach ten feet in length, the 50 or so species of box jellyfish have long been of interest to scientists and to the public. Yet little has been known about the evolution of this early branch in the animal tree of life.
Baffling boxy bulge
When targeting spiral galaxy bulges, astronomers often seek edge-on galaxies, as their bulges are more easily distinguishable from the disc.
Study reveals why certain drug combinations backfire
Combination drug therapy has become a staple for treating many infections. For instance, doctors treat extensively drug resistant forms of tuberculosis with one drug that breaks down the pathogen's protective barriers and opens the door for another to deliver the deathblow.
A glimpse at the Earth's crust deep below the Atlantic
Long-term variations in volcanism help explain the birth, evolution and death of striking geological features called oceanic core complexes on the ocean floor, says geologist Dr Bram Murton of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.
Funny, you don't look related
When Charles Darwin visited the Falkland Islands during the voyage of the Beagle in 1835, he saw a wolf-like species, wrote about it in his diaries and correctly commented that it was being hunted in such large numbers that it would soon become extinct.
More Evolution Current Events and Evolution News Articles
 |
Why Evolution Is True by Jerry A. Coyne (Author) "Coyne's knowledge of evolutionary biology is prodigious, his deployment of it as masterful as his touch is light." -Richard Dawkins In the current debate about creationism and intelligent design, there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned-the evidence. Yet the proof of evolution by natural selection is vast, varied, and magnificent. In this succinct and accessible summary of the facts supporting the theory of natural selection, Jerry A. Coyne dispels common misunderstandings and fears about evolution and clearly confirms the scientific truth that supports this amazing process of change. Weaving together the many threads of modern work in genetics, paleontology, geology, molecular biology, and anatomy that demonstrate the "indelible stamp" of the processes... |
 |
Evolution Starring: David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Julianne Moore, Seann William Scott, Ted Levine Directed By: Ivan Reitman Also With: Ivan Reitman (Producer), Daniel Goldberg (Producer), David Rodgers (Producer), Jeff Apple (Producer), David Diamond (Writer), David Weissman (Writer), Don Jakoby (Writer) OUTRAGEOUS AND HILARIOUS. YOU'LL LAUGH OUT LOUD AND ENJOY THE FUN ACTION AND OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD SPECIAL EFFECTS AS THESE UNLIKELY HEROES BATTLE THE MOST UNECPECTED GROUP OF ALIENS YOU'LL EVER SEE. |
 |
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins (Author) In 2008, a Gallup poll showed that 44 percent of Americans believed God had created man in his present form within the last 10,000 years. In a Pew Forum poll in the same year, 42 percent believed that all life on earth has existed in its present form since the beginning of time. In 1859 Charles Darwin's masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, shook society to its core. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke. But he surely would have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later. Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity. Now the author of the iconic work The God Delusion takes them to task. The... |
 |
Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald R. Prothero (Author), Carl Buell (Illustrator) Over the past twenty years, paleontologists have made tremendous fossil discoveries, including fossils that mark the growth of whales, manatees, and seals from land mammals and the origins of elephants, horses, and rhinos. Today there exists an amazing diversity of fossil humans, suggesting we walked upright long before we acquired large brains, and new evidence from molecules that enable scientists to decipher the tree of life as never before. The fossil record is now one of the strongest lines of evidence for evolution. In this engaging and richly illustrated book, Donald R. Prothero weaves an entertaining though intellectually rigorous history out of the transitional forms and series that dot the fossil record. Beginning with a brief discussion of the nature of science and the... |
 |
Evolution Boxed Set Starring: Liam Neeson (narrator) Evolution offers a groundbreaking and definitive view of the extraordinary impact the evolutionary process has had on our understanding of the world around us. Beginning with Darwin s revolutionary theory, this seven-part series explores all facets of evolution the changes that spawned the tree of life, the power of sex, how evolution continues to affect us every day, and the perceived conflict between science and religion. Includes: Darwin s Dangerous Idea: Interweaving key moments of drama in Darwin's life with current research, Darwin s Dangerous Idea explores why his theory of evolution might matter even more today than it did in his own time. Great Transformations: From the development of the four-limbed body plan, the journey of animal life from water to land, and the... |
 |
Evolution: The First Four Billion Years by Michael Ruse (Editor), Joseph Travis (Editor), Edward O. Wilson (Editor) Spanning evolutionary science from its inception to its latest findings, from discoveries and data to philosophy and history, this book is the most complete, authoritative, and inviting one-volume introduction to evolutionary biology available. Clear, informative, and comprehensive in scope, Evolution opens with a series of major essays dealing with the history and philosophy of evolutionary biology, with major empirical and theoretical questions in the science, from speciation to adaptation, from paleontology to evolutionary development (evo devo), and concluding with essays on the social and political significance of evolutionary biology today. A second encyclopedic section travels the spectrum of topics in evolution with concise, informative, and accessible entries on... |
 |
Evolution, Second Edition by Douglas Futuyma (Author) Presents a comprehensive treatment of contemporary evolutionary biology. This title addresses major themes - including the history of evolution, evolutionary processes, adaptation, and evolution as an explanatory framework - at levels of biological organization ranging from genomes to ecological communities. |
 |
Science, Evolution, and Creationism by National Academy of Sciences (Author), Institute of Medicine (Author) How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable. In the book, Science, Evolution, and Creationism, a group of experts assembled by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine explain the fundamental methods of science, document the overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution, and evaluate the alternative perspectives offered by advocates of various kinds of creationism, including "intelligent design." The book explores the many fascinating inquiries being pursued that put the science of evolution to work ... |
 |
Just The Facts: Prehistoric Man - Human Evolution Starring: Just the Facts Directed By: Cerebellum Corporation Beginning in the late nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century, geologists, archaeologists and paleoanthropologists have given the world evidence of the physical and cultural development of humans. Amazing discoveries continue into the twenty-first century, broadening our knowledge of our earliest ancestors and pushing the date of the first appearance of humans to millions of years before recorded history. In Part 1 of "Prehistoric Man," viewers come face to face with fascinating ancient creatures who looked something like apes but walked upright. We learn how they lived in their foraging societies; what their life may have been like; how they fashioned tools out of stone, wood and bone; and how scientists determine the age of the fossils that give us windows to their... |
 |
Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story by Lisa Westberg Peters (Author), Lauren Stringer (Illustrator) All of us are part of an old, old family. The roots of our family tree reach back millions of years to the beginning of life on earth. Open this family album and embark on an amazing journey. You'll meet some of our oldest relatives--from both the land and the sea--and discover what we inherited from each of them along the many steps of our wondrous past. Complete with an illustrated timeline and glossary, here is the story of human evolution as it's never been told before. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |