SlothBot: little robot sloth that will help save ecosystems at risk

Here is SlothBot, a new technological tool that could be used to save some of the most threatened species of the Planet. A small robot that moves slowly through the trees imitating the sloth's lifestyle to observe and monitor the surrounding environment: 

SlothBot, robot that will help save ecosystems.

• Printed entirely in 3D.

• SlothBot was developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology's robotics engineers.

• Inspired by the slowness of sloths, their lifestyle and the way they move.

SlothBot video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foiRTJnc-vA

Title 67 characters	Georgia Tech deploys SlothBot in Atlanta Botanical Garden - YouTube
Description 160 characters	For the next few months, visitors to the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Canopy Walk will be able to watch the testing of a new high-tech tool in the battl...

SlothBot is a robot about one and a half meters long, programmed to observe nature while remaining still in the trees, without disturbing the animals living nearby and integrating into the environment.

While lingering between the leaves, SlothBot can monitor animal and plant species and measure various parameters, including temperature, CO2 levels and other environmental information.

Its findings will be used to better understand the factors affecting critical ecosystems, providing a new tool for developing the information needed to protect rare species and endangered ecosystems.

The robot is powered by solar energy and, when it needs to recharge, it is able to move around looking for sunlight, without requiring human intervention.

Instead of moving on wheels or in flight as is usually the case with this kind of robot, SlothBot will quietly and slowly crawl along a steel cable between the canopies, just like a real sloth. Not only will it not harm or disturb the environment, it will also avoid the risk of tipping or falling over due to obstacles and mud, and the movement will not require excessive energy.

SlothBot embraces slowness as a design principle 

Robots are generally not designed that way, but being slow and energy-efficient will allow SlothBot to linger in the environment to observe things that we can only see by being present continuously for months or even years, explained Magnus Egerstedt, professor and school president Steve W. Chaddick of the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

For the next few months, it can be seen in action at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, where testing of this new environmental monitoring tool is underway.

"SlothBot could do some of our research remotely and help us understand what is happening with pollinators, plant and animal interactions and other phenomena that are difficult to observe otherwise.

With rapid biodiversity loss and more than a quarter of the world's plants potentially becoming extinct, SlothBot offers us another way to work to preserve those species," added Emily Coffey, vice president of conservation and research at the Botanic Garden.

Thanks to its observations, SlothBot will therefore provide practical help in projects to protect and conserve endangered ecosystems and could also be used in agriculture in the future, for example to provide early diagnosis of crop diseases, measure moisture and control insect infestation.

After this first test in the Atlanta Botanical Garden, researchers hope to move SlothBot to South America to observe the pollination of orchids and the life of endangered frogs.

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Less than a meter long, Slothbot is powered by solar panels , needs no maintenance and, like its animal counterpart, wastes very little energy moving very slowly.

Source: http://lifeinabyte.com/2020/07/13/il-bradipo-robot-che-aiuta-lambiente/

Title 54 characters	The sloth-robot that helps the environment
Description 382 characters	A sloth-robot that hides in nature, camouflaging itself among the branches and going unnoticed. It is the latest creation of Georgia researchers.

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Reference:  http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/robot-sloth-endangered-species-georgia-tech-plants-environment-a9575606.html

Title 78 characters	Robot sloth used to save the world's most endangered species | The Independent
Description 378 characters	The Atlanta Botanical Garden will be using a robotic sloth to save some of the world’s most endangered species. The sloth robot, called Slothbot.

The sloth robot, called Slothbot, hangs in trees to monitor animals, plants, and the environment.