SlothBot Takes Its Time to Monitor Jungle Canopy Environments

UPDATE: SlothBot has been improved, and Georgia residents will be able to see the adorable bot in action at the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Canopy Walk for the next few months. SlothBot was built to assist in conservation efforts, and visitors to the Atlanta Botanical Garden can watch it traverse a 100-foot cable strung between two trees as it monitors the local temperature, weather conditions, carbon dioxide levels, and more.

Measuring about three feet long, SlothBot’s 3D-printed shell helps protect its motors, gearing, batteries, and sensing equipment from the elements.

Original article continues below...

Sloths are famous for living life slowly, and that certainly isn’t an unfounded stereotype. Modern tree sloths survive mostly on leaves found in the jungles of South America and Central America — a diet that offers very few calories. Because they consume so few calories, they need to expend as little energy as possible throughout the day. That results in the slow movement that sloths have become known for. A team of engineers from Georgia Tech have applied that same “theory of slowness” to a robot for environmental monitoring, and have appropriately named it SlothBot.

Most of the robots that make the headlines end up there because they do something physically impressive. That could be object manipulation that approaches the dexterity of human hands. Or, it could be the ability to move extremely quickly over uneven terrain. But, while those robots may be impressive, that doesn’t mean they’re suited to every task. Many jobs require a more subtle approach. In the case of SlothBot, that job is environmental monitoring of jungle canopies. To do that job, a robot needs to be able to stay up in the treetops for months at a time. That requires energy efficiency, which is why the engineers from Georgia Tech turned to the humble sloth for inspiration.

SlothBot is made up of two body sections that meet in a single articulated joint. The structure of the robot is 3D-printed, and houses the electronic components. Those include sensors for monitoring environmental conditions, solar panels to recharge the robot’s batteries when needed, and the motors and control components that allow it to move. SlothBot is designed to hang suspended from wires for long periods of time while consuming very little power. When necessary, it can slowly drive along those wires. The robot is even capable of moving from one wire to another intersecting wire, so it can navigate through the treetops. That makes SlothBot uniquely capable of monitoring conditions in the very same jungle canopies that sloths themselves inhabit.