The Robot Sloth that Helps the Environment
Georgia Tech Researchers have developed a Sloth Robot that will help them monitor the environment and protect endangered species.
Slow, very slow, just like a real sloth. But it’s actually a robot. Made by researchers at Georgia Tech, it will have the task of camouflaging itself in the environment and keeping it under control by going almost unnoticed.
Entirely printed in 3D, the sloth robot lives by hanging from steel cables along which it moves. Slowly and only when necessary.
INVISIBLE. Its task is to monitor the levels of pollution and CO2 in the environment but also other factors of interest to researchers. The sloth robot will also be able to control the endangered species, both animal and plant, present in the environment in which it is used.
The robot is powered by solar panels and protects all the instrumentation necessary for its work inside the plastic shell. The sloth does not need any maintenance and thanks to its renewable energy supply it can be used for years without, at least in theory, any human intervention.
IT DOESN’T MISS A THING. This makes it an ideal tool for use in pristine environments, where even the shortest contact with humans could leave its mark.
The robot could also be used in agriculture for plant monitoring: its watchful eye could in fact discover diseases and pest infestations before humans, thus reducing costs but above all the need for pesticides.
