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[–] 137 points 7 months ago (7 children)

No, it cannot crawl backwards.

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  • [–] 134 points 7 months ago (5 children)
  • [–] 74 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    Is a flared base mod available?

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  • [–] 56 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going...

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  • [–] 30 points 7 months ago (8 children)

    this is going in some ones bum. it might not come back out again without a enema or surgical intervention. but some one will, you mark my words.

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  • [–] 28 points 7 months ago (6 children)

    Looking at it, I wouldn't be surprised if "can crawl up the bum" was one of the stated goals of the project. I can see medical applications for a soft robot that navigates tight spaces. Let's hope "can crawl out the bum" is on the roadmap.

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  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    seems like colonoscopy would be a nice application for this

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  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    What makes this any better than the existing flexible scopes used for colonoscopies, though?

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  • [–] 60 points 7 months ago (12 children)

    I am one of those researchers, ask me anything!

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  • [–] 55 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    Cool! What would you say is the main non-dildo application for self-propelled crawlers like this? Like what purpose were you guys envisioning?

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  • [–] 46 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    penetrating the ruins of a building (recent or archeological) to search for valuables like corpses, alive people, or archeological artifacts

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  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    Can it be scaled up or down in size easily? Like can Palantir make very small versions to crawl into our ears and explode or some other comically bond-villian type or thing they love to do? 😂

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  • [–] 54 points 7 months ago (14 children)
  • [–] 103 points 7 months ago (13 children)

    Nope. Too articulated. Its a sex tentacle. Much better.

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  • [–] 10 points 7 months ago (12 children)

    have you seen a male elephant getting ready to smash

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  • [–] 30 points 7 months ago (10 children)
  • [–] 17 points 7 months ago (9 children)

    Yes. In a wildlife documentary porn. They have total control. Shit's wild.

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  • [–] 15 points 7 months ago (8 children)

    Female dolphins have as much control over the inner walls of their vaginas as we do over our (facial) cheeks. They can apply pressure and change the internal shape of the cavity.

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  • [–] 14 points 7 months ago (6 children)

    I remember as a teen coming across this site where someone meticulously documented (might've been made up) their sexual relationship with a dolphin.

    The internet was a wild, wonderful place.

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  • [–] 9 points 7 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] 18 points 7 months ago (6 children)

    They should develop it for its purpose in mind.

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  • [–] 32 points 7 months ago (5 children)

    Tbh they probably did, there's likely more profit in it as a luxury sex toy than in prosthetics or manufacturing.

    I work in prosthetics and have seen a couple of tentacle-like terminal end devices made over the years, but they all fail to truly be useful for anything.

    They fall into the category of being not efficient enough for specific or universal uses. For something like manufacturing they aren't as efficient as building a specific tool for a specific purpose, and for something like a prosthetic they aren't useful enough to overcome the fact that most things we interact with everyday are made to work with something in the shape of a hand.

    So an expensive space dildo is likely the most profitable option if they can bring it to market at an achievable price. But honestly, most of these things are mainly created as an eye grabbing marketing scheme for some universities research department.

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  • [–] 9 points 7 months ago (4 children)

    It's not meant for prosthetics or manufacturing. It's a robot that can get into tight spaces without depending on wheels, tracks, or legs, which are likely to get hung up on corners and debris. It could be used to, for example, crawl into rubble, or explore irregular caves. If it's designed right it could be made pretty cheaply, even. Biggest downside is that it can't climb, but that problem exists with most other robot designs as well.

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  • [–] 4 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    It essentially has the same issue. How many scenarios can we think of that need something that can crawl into rubble or explore irregular caves, but without the ability to climb? It's what happens when a design's aesthetic is developed before its function.

    When aesthetics is the selling point of an engineering project then the aesthetics is its purpose. In this case it's to advertise a university's research department.

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago (2 children)

    Running cables through conduit is one example that comes to mind. You need something to drag the lead, and if there's corners or something that thwarts using a fish tape, this kind of robot would be perfect.

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago (1 child)

    It's still not as effective as the current means. Plus, this would only hypothetically work on conduit that doesn't elevate or go vertical. It's cheaper and faster to just apply a shop vacuum to the conduit and suck a ball with a line through.

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago

    If the robot is the right size, it would be able to move vertically.

    Mind you, you're right, but new methods of locomotion can come in useful in surprising ways that you and I haven't thought of.

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  • [–] 15 points 7 months ago

    Sure... hypothetical.

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  • [–] 15 points 7 months ago

    Soft robotics 😫

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  • [–] 10 points 7 months ago

    At long last Fujidick is real

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago

    ngl their pfp fits lol

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago

    Everyone is streaming OnePiece now

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago

    Thinking about... Crevice tool!

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