Robotics researchers at Jacobs School of Engineering have discovered that ground roasted coffee is the ideal material to fill booties affixed to robots’ feet. Loosely packed, coffee grounds flow like a liquid. When the robot walks, its weight jams the grounds together tightly. The result is that coffee-filled feet give robots better traction and let them reach higher speeds with less effort. Further benefits of coffee are that it is light and inexpensive. The diverse particle sizes in a typical coarse grind are also an advantage.
Key Takeaways:
- Coffee is now being grown with the help of robots.
- Researchers have found that the robots walk better on ground covered in coffee beans.
- Understanding how robots walk on coffee can help people build robots to explore other planets and more.
“The intent is to help robots serve more effectively as interplanetary explorers and as as search-and-rescue tools traversing perilous disaster sites.”
