The robot, part of a project led by Keith Brown, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, has been running continuously for over three years, creating over 25,000 3D-printed structures. The record-breaking structure has four points, shaped like thin flower petals, and is taller and narrower than earlier designs. The data collected is already being used to design new helmet padding for US Army soldiers. The team is also exploring ways to recycle the crushed pieces for further experiments.
Key takeaways:
- An autonomous robot at Boston University, named MAMA BEAR, is creating and testing energy-absorbing structures with a record efficiency of 75%.
- The robot uses a 3D printer to create the structures, then crushes them to measure their energy absorption, continuously improving the design based on past experiments.
- The structures created by MAMA BEAR have potential applications in areas such as car bumpers, packaging, and military gear, including a real-life application in the design of new helmet padding for US Army soldiers.
- The research team is exploring how to recycle the crushed pieces for more experiments and believes that they could potentially break their own record for energy absorption efficiency again in the future.