◎ Science and Technology Daily reporter He Liang intern reporter Du Peng
Looks like a "curling", or a robot!
At the Winter Olympic Park on February 2, when the Winter Olympic torchbearer passed the Olympic flame to a special torchbearer in the field of science and technology, the amphibious robot, the sense of science and technology of the torch relay was instantly full!
Only to see amphibious robots holding burning torches, spinning along the curling track into the ice cave entrance, the robots continue to dive, the Winter Olympic torch lit up the ice world of Beijing Winter Olympic Park.
At this time, the underwater variable structure robot is also constantly moving closer to the amphibious robot, when the two types of robots holding torches in the underwater docking ignition successfully, the scene applause thunderous.
Video source: @JST
Then, the underwater variable structure robot holds a torch and lights the water from the mouth of the cave, just like the synchronized swimmer "Hibiscus out of the water", the burning Olympic flame once again ignites everyone's passion! The legend of the first underwater torch relay between robots and robots in Olympic history is written.
Underwater torch ignition is completed in 10 seconds
Curious viewers can't help but ask: Why can the torch still burn when it enters the water? And how to ensure that the robot hovers accurately underwater?
"The accurate docking and underwater ignition of robots and robots under the ice are not only the biggest highlight and the biggest difficulty of the robot cross-domain torch relay, and its difficulty is comparable to the docking of space capsules." Dr. Tian Qiyan, head of the national key research and development plan "Science and Technology Winter Olympics" key special project "Multi-robot cross-domain torch relay technology research and system demonstration application" said.
Amphibious robots
To achieve torch relay in ice water, it is required that under the conditions of complex flow field environment in the wild, two floating underwater robot platform robot arms hold the torch, and the positioning accuracy of the end of the torch is continuously maintained within 1cm. Tian Qiyan told the Science and Technology Daily reporter that the underwater torch has a special nature, after entering the underwater relay state, the window period of the relay is very short, and it is necessary to control the underwater robot manipulator within 10 seconds to complete the torch ignition.
In order to achieve the accurate docking and operation of the robot underwater seconds, the scientific research team of the Shenyang Automation Research Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences spent 9 months to solve the key technologies such as highly adaptive motion control of ice water cross-media, underwater dynamic alignment, and centimeter-level precision operation of underwater robotic arms, laying the foundation for robot underwater torch relay technology.
Underwater variable structure robot
The special torch will replenish oxygen independently before being launched
Different from other handheld torches, amphibious robots hold the world's first smokeless green clean water-air cross-media torch, based on which to achieve underwater docking ignition.
"There are three elements to combustion, combustibles, combustibles and ignition sources. Most of the general combustion is based on oxygen in the air as a combustion material, so when the water isolates the air, the flame will be extinguished. The special torch passed by the robot can replenish oxygen independently before going into the water, and it can not rely on oxygen in the air underwater. Tian Qiyan told the Science and Technology Daily reporter that the Thirty-one Research Institute of the Third Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Group has made a special design for the burner, protecting the flame through the physical structure and aerodynamic characteristics of the burner and preventing the damage of the water environment to the flame.
It embodies the perfect combination of the Olympic Games and science and technology
The torch relay is a very important link in the Olympic Games, the Olympic torch relay has witnessed the continuous progress of human science and technology, civilization and wisdom, through amphibious robots and underwater variable structure robots to achieve "robot-robot" ice surface, underwater cross-domain cross-media torch relay, showing the scientific and technological elements of the Beijing Winter Olympics and the scientific and technological level of Chinese robots.
"Our starting point is to reflect the perfect combination of the Olympic Games and science and technology." Tian Qiyan said that robots are the pearl at the top of the manufacturing crown, and with the continuous development of robot technology, the integration of robots and robots and the integration of robots and the environment is an important development direction.
"Through the multi-robot cross-domain collaborative torch relay, we reflect the communion between robots and the communion of robots with the ice surface and the sub-ice environment, which coincides with the ice and snow concept of the Winter Olympics." Tian Qiyan said.
Source: Science and Technology Daily The pictures in the article are provided by Tian Qiyan unless indicated
Editor: Zhang Shuang
Review: Julie
Final Judgement: Wang Yu