Transformers in real life?

We were interested in the question: will we see robots with the capabilities of Transformers in our time? While full-scale Transformers seem somewhat unrealistic - and impractical - it turns out that there are robots that have much in common with Transformers. In this article we will look at how these robots look, how they work and what are their similarities with Transformers such as Optimus Prime.

Let's start with an analysis of Optimus Prime itself. It is huge and impressive, but can it exist in reality? To find the answer to this question, we asked engineer Michael D. Belote what it would take to create a full-blown multi-ton truck capable of transforming into a two-legged robot. In other words, what would be required to create a real Optimus Prime?

First of all, Prime should be a self-transforming robot. Self-tuning robots, or robots that can change their shape in accordance with the tasks performed, exist today. However, they are very different from Optimus Prime. As Michael Belote explains:

“When creating self- tuning robots, engineers generally prefer to make individual, mobile modules small, inexpensive, and easily replaceable; however, in the case of Optimus Prime, we are dealing with a robot whose individual modules are as large as the cabin of a semi-trailer. Even if the construction of such modules would be possible, the price of the issue would be enormous, and the exceptional complexity would make it virtually impossible for all parts of the system to work seamlessly. ”

Even if the engineers figured out how to make self-tuning modules on the Optimus Prime scale, supplying them with energy for movement would remain impossible. In the form of a car, Optimus Prime can run on conventional diesel. But walking is much harder than rolling on wheels! To walk, Prime needs a lot more energy than a diesel engine can provide. The following is Belote’s analysis on how to cope with the requirements of Prime in obtaining the necessary energy:

“Traditionally, robots use one of three energy resources: electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic. Taking into account the huge weight of Prime, the most probable energy resource for him is hydraulic, since hydraulic power drives provide a very high energy to weight ratio (a large amount of energy at the output at low input energy consumption). ”


So, hydraulic energy can allow Prime to walk, but it creates a number of additional problems in itself. “A tank or reservoir for storing hydraulic fluid must be added,” Belote says, “hydraulic pumps are needed, a second power source is needed to actuate them, valves to maintain the proper pressure and flow. In addition to this, a hydraulically-powered prime would have to be lined with pipes to transfer hydraulic fluid. These pipes, as well as fuel tanks and electrical wiring, would have to remain intact, or even intact, during transformation.

Safely transferring the transformation into the shape of a robot, Prime then has to walk on two legs. Belote describes what is needed for this to happen: since most often the weight of semi-trailers reaches 30 tons, Prime weight may well reach 35 - 40 tons. Comparing it with the world's best "walking" ASIMO robot from Honda , which weighs 54 kilograms and can walk no more than 40 minutes (on electricity) at a speed of less than 3 km per hour. The weight ratio of ASIMO is 1.04 kilograms per inch, compared to the weight ratio of Prime, which would reach 30 - 36 kilograms per inch, that is, 30 times more.

In addition, robots cannot easily make movements while walking. “In the case of the robot,” Belote says, “there is a specific command (raise the foot by the“ x ”value, move the body forward by the“ y ”value, stretch the foot down the“ z ”value, and so on). People do not have a “feedback” mechanism — your brain does not constantly contact your legs about where to put them. Instead, you simply lean forward and “fall,” placing your foot to soften the blow when the foot touches the floor. ”

Thus, we are unlikely to be able to see a functioning Optimus Prime or any other robot of the same type in our time. In reality, there are many different tunable robots that can perform up to several different tasks. For example, a research all-terrain vehicle for Mars can generate solar energy and store it in batteries, drill rocks, take pictures, ride, use spectrometers to record temperature, chemical compounds, infrared rays and alpha particles, send the data to Earth. This, of course, is very different from the capabilities of Transformers, which can take two forms with dramatically different strengths and capabilities, which makes them so exciting.

Source: dvice.ru