We’ve already discussed a number of talking points relating to robotics in our previous posts, but this important – not to mention attractive – branch of engineering continues to make the headlines. It’s fair to say that robotics is being used to breach all sorts of previously insurmountable boundaries in the present day world, and we noticed one such impressive story just the other month.
The First High-Res 3D Maps
Ocean exploration is always a difficult sphere to conquer, and you’ll have doubtless heard the phrase before that ‘we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the bottom of the ocean’. That’s true, and polar waters are particularly difficult territories to venture into. However, in November a revolutionary underwater robot has been used to create the pioneering high-resolution 3D maps of life under the ice flows of Antarctica, so robotics is doing some pretty amazing things.
The SeaBED Robot
Known as SeaBED, the key to this robot’s success was manoeuvrability and stability, as recovery within extremely confined surroundings was essential. Another advantage of SeaBED is upward-facing sonar, an augmentation that stands contrary to the usual downwards facing scanners, but that allows the easy surveying of ice. In actual fact, this robot only needed to descend to 30 metres at the outside of its range, but the work that it has achieved is nonetheless highly significant.
Future/Ongoing Plans
Going forward, the plan is to upgrade future surveys to cover large-scale ranges, and already much has been learned about both the composition and creation of sea ice. Of course, this is by no means the only robotic venture that’s in the pipeline, and in actual fact robotics has been pinpointed as a mainstay of future engineering. It’ll definitely be very exciting to see what developments are just out of sight or over the horizon, but, one thing is for sure, even the most complex and sophisticated robotic design would be useless without a few well-placed compression springs and the like.
At Airedale Springs, we love to see what the engineering industry is up to, and we’re proud to be doing our own small bit to support many interesting developments from this vitally important sector. If you need a reliable source of springs for any such purpose, then be sure to contact us today by calling 01535 643456 or emailing sales@airedalesprings.co.uk. We’re always happy to take into account specific requirements and the like, so we look forward to hearing from you.