Since foraging pangolins already dig in the dirt, why not have them plant trees too? Training them would be difficult, so California high school student Dorothy created a pangolin-inspired robot to handle the digging and planting instead.

Named the Plantolin, this bio-inspired robot is the latest winner of the annual Natural Robotics Contest, hosted by the University of Surrey and funded by the British Ecological Society.

Figure 1. The Plantolin: Pangolin-Inspired Robot That Digs and Plants Seeds

For the Plantolin, the University of Surrey was the primary partner. Other collaborators include Queen Mary University of London, the Royal College of Art, EPFL Lausanne (Switzerland), the Technical University of Munich, and Alexander Humboldt University (Germany). [1] The previous winner of the competition was a robotic fish designed to filter microplastic particles from water. Figure 1 Shows The Plantolin: Pangolin-Inspired Robot That Digs and Plants Seeds.

Similar to how a pangolin waddles on its two hind legs, the Plantolin balances Segway-style on two wheels, with each wheel powered by an electric quadcopter drone motor. Its long tail acts as a counterweight while the robot moves, but tilts downward to provide leverage when it stops to begin digging.

The digging is carried out by two motorized front legs, each equipped with claws that remain locked in place while scooping soil. When the legs are drawn forward for another scoop, the claws passively bend back out of the way.

Once the hole is dug, the Plantolin drives over it and drops a yew tree "seed bomb" (a nugget of seeds and soil) into the hole. The seed bombs are fed into a dispenser through a hole at the top of the robot, then transported by an internal conveyor belt to the robot's "rear" for dispersal.

"The restoration of forests through planting more trees is essential for the sustainable development of our planet," says Dorothy. [2] "Pangolins spend much of their time digging in the ground, so I thought a planting robot inspired by their behavior would feel very natural."

The Plantolin was created by University of Surrey roboticist Dr. Robert Siddall, who explains the robot's functionality in more detail in the video below.

References:

1. https://www.yankodesign.com/2024/10/08/pangolin-inspired-robot-can-dig-and-poop-out-seeds-to-plant-trees/
2. https://newatlas.com/robotics/plantolin-pangolin-inspired-tree-planting-robot/

Cite this article:

Janani R (2024), Pangolin-Inspired Robot Deposits Tree Seeds into Holes It Digs, AnaTechmaz, pp. 96