Robotic Plants Grow with Their Environment植物机器人与环境共生

In environments that are difficult to reach because of the hazards or hardships for humans， a device behaving like a native plant could be the answer. This approach was taken by Suyi Li， associate professor in mechanical engin-eering at Virginia Tech， and Clemson professor and collaborator Ian Walker.

在人类因危险或阻碍而难以涉足的环境中，一种模仿当地植物行为的设备或许就是解决办法。弗吉尼亚理工大学机械工程副教授李甦怡与克莱姆森大学教授伊恩·沃克采用这一理念展开了合作。

“When I started to venture into robotics a few years ago， I was surprised to see that almost all robots are inspired by humans and animals to some degree，” Li said. “However， I believe the vast plant kingdom can offer us many unique lessons on approaching the design， actuation， and operation of robots. This is how Ian and I started working on this topic together. ”

“几年前我开始勇闯机器人领域。令我感到惊讶的是，几乎所有机器人的设计都或多或少受到了人类和动物的启发。”李副教授谈道，“但我相信广袤的植物王国能够为我们带来许多独特的启示，有助于我们改进机器人的构造设计、驱动方式和运作方法。这也是我和伊恩开始在这一领域合作的契机。”

Li has established a research group that deploys the principles of origami to create novel forms of soft robotics with unique structures. Walker， a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Clemson， brings a rich background in biologically inspired robotics spanning two decades. Their proposal aims to create a broad foundation for new designs， creating robotics with technology capable of surviving in wild conditions over the long haul.

李副教授组建了一支研究团队，利用折纸的原理开发具有独特结构的新型软体机器人。沃克是克莱姆森大学电子与计算机工程教授，他凭借自己20年研究仿生机器人的丰富经验，为项目提供有力支持。两人的研究目标是为新设计奠定广泛的基础，研发出能够在恶劣自然环境中长期运作的机器人。

Robots in the wild

走进野外的机器人

Bringing together cutting-edge electronics with the unpredictability of nature is typically a clash of worlds. Technology can be a strength when electricity is available， and the environment is predictable or controlled. Those measures break down when batteries die and parts break.

将尖端电子技术与不可预测的大自然结合，通常等同于两个世界相互冲撞。当有电力供应且环境可预测或可控时，科技可以大展身手。然而，一旦电量耗尽或部件损坏，各种技术手段就会随之崩溃。

This has not prevented technology from making its way into the outdoors， but challenges have followed. Other researchers deployed sensors for wildfire detection in remote locations of California and Oregon， but have faced issues such as navigating rocky areas at high altitudes and the particulars of protected lands.

科技进入野外的脚步并未因此受阻，但随之而来的挑战也层出不穷。其他研究人员曾在加利福尼亚州和俄勒冈州的偏远地区部署野火探测器，但他们遇到了诸多问题，比如在高海拔岩石地带操作不便，还需要应对保护区的特殊条件。

Devices that need to be always on and programmed to detect such things as airborne particles or rare breeds of birds generally face two big obstacles： time and environment. These are the main challenges Li’s team is tackling. The aim isn’t to fight against the flow of nature， but to channel the very approach used by nature to produce more adaptive robotics.

有的设备需要始终处于开机状态并执行预设程序来探测空气悬浮粒子或稀有鸟类之类的东西，这类设备通常面临两大障碍：时间与环境。二者也正是李副教授团队着力攻克的核心问题。他们的目的并非与大自然的风云变幻抗衡，而是借鉴自然本身的机制开发出更具适应性的机器人。

“As humans， we naturally tend to think of change on the time scale of our attention span， like seconds and minutes，” Walker said. “However， long-term and continuous deployments outdoors pose alternative and unique challenges. Over weeks and months， outdoor natural environments are highly dynamic places. Vegetation grows up and debris comes down in storms. Robotic operation in these conditions needs to become more like the ambient environment in novel ways to maintain monitoring.”

“作为人类，我们自然习惯参照注意力持续的时间来理解变化，比如以秒或分钟为单位。”沃克教授指出，“然而，长期持续的野外部署带来了另类的独特挑战。在几周或者几个月的时间里，野外自然环境变化剧烈——植被不断生长，风暴刮来沙土杂物。在这样的条件下，机器人必须以创新的运作方法模拟周围环境，才能持续进行监测。”

Robots that grow and adapt

能够“生长”并适应环境的机器人

Li and Walker will not be creating robot plants or making sensors that grow from seeds. Instead， their work will take advantage of the insights provided by nature that have proven to be durable over the long term. Those nat-ural mechanisms will be converted into mechanics that adapt and respond to their environments.

李副教授和沃克教授并非要打造“机器人植物”或开发从种子中生长出来的传感器，他们要汲取大自然久经考验且验证有效的智慧，将这些自然机制转化为能够适应和应对周围环境的机械结构。

Which characteristics of plants are on their radar？ They have targeted the ability to move with the sun， shown in the behavior of sunflowers. Also of interest are floral organs that open and close， like a Venus flytrap. They also have taken notes from plants that attach to an object adaptively， like the winding of vines around a tree. All of these actions are the result of a plant adapting to its surroundings， and each has a set of mechanisms that make the action possible. Some of the actions are faster， like the flytrap. Some are slower， like the steady coil of vines.

他们关注植物的哪些特性呢？他们瞄准向日葵追随太阳转动的能力，对像捕蝇草那样能开合的花器官感兴趣，还留意了能够灵活依附物体的植物，比如缠绕树干的藤蔓。这些行为均源于植物对周围环境的适应，每种行为都有一套相应的发生机制。有的行为动作迅速，比如捕蝇草的开合。还有的则较为缓慢，比如藤蔓平稳的缠绕行为。

To put these characteristics together into robotics， Li and Walker have combined their efforts to mimic those plant behaviors and package them as a set of innovative robotics.

为了将这些特性融入机器人，李副教授和沃克教授携手合作，模仿植物行为整合出了一套全新的机器人系统。

Li’s team will use its expertise in engineering through origami to create accordion-like robotic trunks that can unfold and self-lock， pairing it with Walker’s knowledge of bio-inspired electronics to create a container that is durable and capable of responding to the dynamics of an outdoor environment. This trunk would have the ability to adapt within congested spaces that may form as the foliage grows and becomes thick. Adapting in this way has the potential to overcome obstacles that might normally shut down a robot’s operation.