Jayaram nabs prestigious grants to design insect-inspired, shapeshifting robots

Alexander James Servantez — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:57:24 +0000

Jayaram nabs prestigious grants to design insect-inspired, shapeshifting robots Alexander Jame鈥� Tue, 04/29/2025 - 10:57

Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram is the recipient of a $650,000 CAREER award from the U.S. National Science Foundation. The funding will help Jayaram make advancements in robots by drawing from what might seem to be an unlikely source: insects and other small creatures.

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Robotic bees? These bio-inspired robots redefine the boundaries of autonomy and sustainability

Matthew Cumpton — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 22:00:00 +0000

Robotic bees? These bio-inspired robots redefine the boundaries of autonomy and sustainability Matthew Cumpton Wed, 03/05/2025 - 15:00

Madison Seckman

With rapid advancements in robotics and AI, the line between science fiction and reality continues to blur. At the heart of this innovation lies a breakthrough: drones designed to solve pressing global challenges, from pollinating crops to navigating wildfire zones.

This vision drives Assistant Professor Chahat Singh, leader of the PRAISe (Perception, Robotics, AI and Sensing) Lab in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. With an academic background spanning electronics, robotics, and computer science, Singh is dedicated to exploring the frontiers of bio-inspired robotics and AI in resource-constrained systems.

Assistant Professor Chahat Singh next to one of his compact and autonomous robotic designs.

Singh鈥檚 overarching research question is deceptively simple: What is the minimum amount of computational power, sensor capability, and resources required for small robots to achieve autonomy? This challenge is compounded by the scale of the robots he designs, which are constrained by limited computational capacity and lightweight requirements. They are two to three inches in length and orders of magnitude smaller in terms of physical size and computational power than traditional robots. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working with systems that have 100 times less computing power than a Boston Dynamics鈥� Spot robot,鈥� Singh explained. 鈥淭he goal is to achieve autonomy with the bare minimum.鈥�

One of Singh鈥檚 most notable projects focuses on autonomous drones for pollination, inspired by the overwhelming loss of honeybee colonies. 鈥淭he question was whether today鈥檚 robotics and AI could fill this gap until we have a more sustainable biological solution,鈥� Singh said. The answer lies in his innovative, lightweight drones that can navigate autonomously through forests and fields without relying on external communication or GPS, making them secure and efficient.

Singh鈥檚 current drone model incorporates multiple onboard cameras, which enables it to identify and align with flowers for pollination. The cameras use advanced neural depth-perception algorithms powered by AI-accelerated computers. Many creatures have developed different pupil shapes based on their habitats which allow variations in incoming light and amount of blur to help them determine the depth of objects. 鈥淭he cameras are inspired by biological systems,鈥� he explained.

Singh showcasing the small scale of materials in his robot's design. His goal is to develop autonomous drones with less resources and power than traditional robots.

Singh鈥檚 drones are not just technologically advanced鈥攖hey鈥檙e engineering marvels. Built from carbon fiber frames, these drones are lightweight yet robust, weighing around 250 grams. They use lithium ion batteries which are heavy and tend to die quickly, so he has started to look at ways to charge the batteries while the robots are outside.

To overcome these limitations, Singh has developed a 鈥渕other drone鈥� system. The larger drone carries smaller drones to the target area and acts as a mobile charging station. Once deployed, the smaller drones autonomously search for flowers and begin pollination. This approach not only extends operational time but also reduces the energy expenditure of individual drones. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a highly efficient system that mirrors natural ecosystems,鈥� Singh said.

While the pollination drones have gathered attention, Singh鈥檚 research has broader implications. His team is working on compressing advanced AI models, such as language and vision models, to operate on resource-constrained systems. 鈥淚magine a robot navigating a forest during a wildfire,鈥� Singh said. 鈥淚t needs to make decisions on the spot, without internet access or pre-programmed instructions. That鈥檚 the next frontier鈥攅mbedding foundational AI models into small, autonomous robots.鈥�

Singh鈥檚 vision extends to deploying fleets of robots for tasks like firefighting, disaster response, and ecological monitoring. By creating swarms of cost-effective, autonomous robots, he aims to revolutionize industries that rely on expensive, large-scale systems. 鈥淪maller robots are not just cool鈥攖hey鈥檙e necessary,鈥� he emphasized. 鈥淭hey offer safety, robustness, and cost-effectiveness.鈥�

Despite the groundbreaking nature of his work, he is committed to open-source principles. 鈥淚 believe in openness because this research is for the greater good,鈥� he said. Singh has already shared software for drone operation and plans to release additional resources to empower other researchers and innovators.

When asked about his favorite part of the research, Singh highlighted the hope it brings for the future. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 addressing ecological crises or enhancing technology, I want to create robot systems that are safe, innovative and sustainable,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is about pushing the boundaries of what鈥檚 possible while respecting the natural world.鈥�

Assistant Professor Chahat Singh is pioneering advancements in bio-inspired robotics and resource-constrained AI. His work focuses on developing small, autonomous drones capable of solving global challenges, such as pollinating crops and navigating wildfire zones.

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University of Colorado students are taking part in advancing robotics to help first responders

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 18:35:53 +0000

University of Colorado students are taking part in advancing robotics to help first responders Alexander Jame鈥� Fri, 12/06/2024 - 11:35

Sean Humbert, professor in mechanical engineering and director of the Robotics graduate program, chats with CBS News Colorado about some of the technology him and his students are working on at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder. One of their builds is a robot that the Boulder County Sheriff's Office uses to support their bomb squad team.

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