Foraging pangolins are already digging in the soil, so why not let them plant some trees while you’re at it? Well, it would be quite difficult to train them. That’s why a California high school student named Dorothy designed a digging and planting robot inspired by pangolins.
The bio-based bot, called Plantolin, is the latest winner of the annual Natural Robot Competition, run by the University of Surrey and funded by the British Ecological Society.
In short, this contest invites people around the world to submit ideas for robots inspired by nature that can do something to help the planet. The winning concept will be developed into a working prototype by one or more partner research institutions.
In Plantolin’s case, that partner was the University of Surrey itself. Other partners include Queen Mary University of London, Royal College of Art, EPFL Lausanne (Switzerland), Technical University of Munich and Alexander Humboldt University (Germany). The previous winner was a robotic fish that filters microplastic particles from water.
University of Surrey
Just as a pangolin waddles on its two hind legs, the plantrin balances on two wheels like a Segway. Each wheel is powered by an electric quadcopter drone motor. As the robot traverses the ground, its long tail is lifted as a counterweight, but when the robot stops and begins digging, it tilts down to provide leverage.
Its digging is done by two motorized front legs. These legs have claws that hold them in place when scooping soil, but passively bend back out of the way when pulled forward for another scoop.
Once the hole is dug, Plantrin runs over it and drops a yew tree “seed bomb” (basically a clump of seeds and soil) into the hole. These bombs are fed into a dispenser through a hole in the top of the robot and carried by an internal conveyor belt to its “butt” for dispersal.
Depositphotos
“Restoring forests by planting more trees is essential for the sustainable development of our planet,” says Dorothy. “Pangolins spend a lot of time digging in the ground, so a planter robot inspired by pangolin behavior seemed like a very natural fit.”
Plantolin was built by roboticist Dr Robert Siddal from the University of Surrey. He explains more about how the bot works in the video below.
Plantolin: Winner of the 2nd Natural Robot Contest
Source: University of Surrey
