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Science fiction often envisions worlds populated by humanoid robots. In reality, insects, reptiles and non-human animals often serve as a more practical template for automatons . The more legs a robot has, the more easily it can navigate tough terrain. Likewise, claws are less challenging to emulate than primate-esque hands and, as a team of researchers reports this week, tails are an incredibly versatile stabilizing mechanism.The back-ends of snakes, ants or even grasshoppers have served as such an inspiration to some roboticists. Now, Robert Full , a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and his students have turned to the red-headed African Agama lizard . The researchers work, published online Thursday in advance of publication in the January 12 issue of Nature , describes how a careful study of the Agamas approach to leaping on slippery surfaces led to improvements in robotic design. ( Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.) [More] Read More ...
