The most 'top' robots in 2012

2012 marked the birth of many very impressive robots, some inspired by nature, others can explore naturally, participate in the post-disaster cleanup work or detect incidents caused by children people create and do many other meaningful things.

Here are the top 'top' robots in 2012, voted by TreeHugger - one of the 10 most-visited scientific sites in the past year:

Surfing robot

Last November, Liquid Robotics launched four 'Wave Glider' surfing robots in the Pacific Ocean. This is a very slow journey, with a speed of only 2.8km / h, but one of them, nicknamed "Papa Mau" has completed a 16.668km trip over the Pacific Ocean, set up New record for the longest automatic journey in the world.

Robot spotting breakout record the speed of people

Initially, the robot with the spotlight reached a speed of approximately 29km / h, breaking the previous record of speed (21km / h) for robots with legs established in 1989. A few months later, the houses Research has even accelerated further for robots. 'Jaguar' can finally reach the highest running speed of 47.2km / h, on the record of 44.7km / h of Usain Bolt - the fastest runner on the planet.

Robot mapping 3D about Antarctic ice

Robots are one of the only means to give us a realistic look at what's happening to the sea ice - an important field of research on global climate change. Australian researchers are using an underwater robot to map the submerged part of the Antarctic ice sheet while the helicopters conduct 3D mapping at the top. This project will allow researchers to go beyond the satellite measurement of polar ice cover as well as provide a more detailed picture of the ice and its change in this area.

Robots repair the coral reefs

Sea mapping is not the only feat that robots can do. They can also help restore marine ecosystems. In 2012, it was noted that researchers from Heriot-Watt University (Scotland) developed tiny underwater robots, capable of working in groups to save coral reefs. These robots will be programmed to heal coral fragments that have been destroyed by net fishing or storm fishing, helping them to re-grow as originally.

Fish simulation robot

One of the most interesting robots released in 2012 is shaped robots, moving like fish and can even interact with real fish.

Jellyfish robot

In the robot inspired by nature can not forget the jellyfish robot. This robot not only has the ability to swim like a real-life jellyfish, but it can also create hydrogen fuel.

Super weightlifting robot

Not all robots are inspired by the natural world, but they still possess supernatural abilities. For example, the improved 'flexible' robot on air powered and can support 120 times its weight. This type of robot really shocked the public when it was released earlier this year.

Labor robots

The inventors in the past year introduced a number of assisting robot models for humans. Among them are the types of robots that can fit solar panels as well as clean them, saving people a lot of money.

And perhaps most significantly in the past year are the robots involved in cleaning up after the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. This type of labor robot was specially built by Hitachi Company for the mission of overcoming nuclear leaks in Fukushima.

Robots trimmed bonsai

The year 2012 also welcomed the introduction of a useful robot, capable of performing a gentle job that requires sophistication: that is to ensure the indoor plants get enough sunlight. This type of robot can search and detect spots illuminated by sunlight in your home and take plants to it.