Robots come in many different shapes and sizes these days. Whereas most people are concerned over how robots will take their jobs, scientists are trying to use technology so they can gain a better understanding of natural animal habitats. Tarzan is a new robot that can swing through the trees, even though it moves like a sloth.
Meet Tarzan The Robot
It has to be said, the name Tarzan is rather aptly chosen. After all, this machine is more than capable of moving through trees and move like a sloth. It is quite interesting to see such a two-armed robot, yet it can have quite a lot of benefits for scientists all over the world This project has been developed by engineers at Georgia Tech, who continue to make a lot of strides in the robotics department.
On paper, Tarzan is designed to monitor crops, as that seems to be the most fitting use case for this robot. Tarzan is more than capable of hanging above a field of crops and keep track of plant life as it grows and evolves. To the untrained eye, one would think Tarzan behaves just like a regular animal hanging from a tree. The scientists hope the local animal wildlife will see Tarzan in the same light, even though it looks like a swinging metal cube rather than a sloth.
It is true the planet’s food production has become a significant problem as of right now. With the population continuously growing, producing enough quantities of food becomes a big hassle. Employing technology and even robots to monitor crops and take over the job from farmers may be the only plausible solution to address this problem in a feasible manner.
Moreover, Tarzan is designed in such a way the robot will not interfere with any of the machinery used to water crops or harvest them. In a way, it is a silent guard watching for things, always lurking, always looking. The robot complements the existing infrastructure put in place by farmers, yet provides extra support in the form of crop monitoring and observing wildlife.
The reason why Tarzan resembles a sloth is because it is capable of hanging on a wire with one arm. Moreover, it can swing along the wire with the other arm. Since the movements are not the quickest in the world, Tarzan does resemble a sloth rather than a monkey. Then again, future generations of Tarzan may show monkey-esque behavior. For now, though, the bot moves at its own pace, mimicking a regular animal, yet with a control system hanging beneath it.
One nifty feature about Tarzan is how the bot is capable of taking pictures of the crop in between swings. That makes it quite a powerful ally for every farmer in the world. Having the growth of crops documented in a detailed manner will provide more insight as to how the food production process can be improved in the future. It is unclear when and where Tarzan will be deployed, although it seems likely the trial will take place somewhere in the United States.
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