A team of researchers led by Zeb Rocklin, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Physics, created a robot confined to a spherical surface with unprecedented levels of isolation from its surroundings, so that these curvature-induced effects would predominate.

Figure 1: Robot in a curved space can change the standard of physics.

Figure 1 shows thatthe researchers set out to study how an object moved within curved space. To confine the object in the sphere with minimal interaction or exchange of momentum with the environment in curved space, they let a set of motors move on curved tracks like moving masses.

They then integrally connected this system to a rotating shaft so that the motors always move on a sphere. The shaft was supported by air bearings and bushings to minimize friction, and the axis alignment was adjusted with the Earth’s gravity to minimize the residual force of gravity. [1]

From there, as the robot continued to move, gravity and friction exerted small forces on it. These forces hybridized with the effects of curvature, creating strange dynamics with properties that neither could produce on their own.

The research provides an important demonstration of how curved spaces can be achieved and how this fundamentally challenges the physical laws and intuitions developed for flat space. Rocklin hopes that the experimental techniques developed will allow other researchers to explore these warped spaces.

“We let our shape-shifting object move through the simplest curved space, a sphere, to systematically study motion in curved space,” Rocklin said. “We found that the predicted effect, when the robot changed its shape, it moved forward around the sphere in a way that could not be attributed to environmental interactions.” [2]

Although the effects are small, as robotics becomes increasingly precise, understanding this curvature-induced effect may be of practical importance, just as the slight gravity-induced frequency shift has become crucial. to allow GPS systems to accurately transmit their positions to orbiting satellites. The principles of how the curvature of space can be harnessed for locomotion can allow spacecraft to navigate the highly curved space around a black hole.

“This research also pertains to the ‘Impossible Engine’ study, engine was indeed impossible, but because spacetime is very slightly curved, a device could actually move forward without any external force or emitting propellant – a new discovery,”Rocklin said. [3]

References:

1. https://venezuela.detailzero.com/technology/44363/A-robot-in-a-curved-space-defies-the-laws-of-physics.html
2. https://trainersadda.com/robotic-motion-in-curved-space-defies-standard-laws-of-physics-sciencedaily/44418/
3. https://news.postuszero.com/technology/175340/Robotic-movement-in-curved-space-defies-standard-laws-of-physics.html

Cite this article:

Sri Vasagi K (2022), Robot Confined in a Spherical Surface Defines the Law of Physics, Anatechmaz, pp. 380