Tree climbing robot...

[Arborialis]

I thought somebody might get a kick out of this pole-climbing robot, might come in handy for the future:

http://kodlab.seas.upenn.edu/RiSE/RiSEV3

 

[MonkeyMan_812]

Oh no! Thats our future replacement!

 

[Adkpk]

See those nerds standing around with that thing. Shoot, it fell. No helmet? What a waste send it back. :greenchainsaw:

 

[Arborialis]

and some more...

There's a lot more of these than I expected:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI0CR67g6ww

http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2006/03/tree-climbing-robot.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzfP0Ig7eVQ
(this one's great!)

http://www.sugano.mech.waseda.ac.jp/woody/research.htm#WOODY-1

Or maybe a robot squirrel:

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/12/07/Tampabay/Meet_Rocky__a_robot_s.shtml

This rope-climbing robot has more skills than some climbers I've known:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-oAjJaeb-Mfs/rope_climbing_robot/

 

[VA-Sawyer]

I hate to say this, but that kind of robot isn't the real future of tree work. The real future of tree work will be in the nanotech world. Little robots the size of ants or smaller that can climb and "eat" wood. Take a box of "treebots" to the worksite, open the box at the base of the tree needing work, the little buggers climb up the tree and start their job. They can be programmed to eat only deadwood or to remove the whole tree. They automatically start at the tips/top and "eat" their way back toward the stump. No big chunks of wood to deal with, just falling sawdust for a few days. They can even be programmed to eat the stump and roots. When finished, they return to their storage box ready to be programmed and transported to the next job.

They use part of the sawdust they create as their power source so no recharging required, and it reduces the amount of sawdust falling from the tree.

 

[TreEmergencyB]

dam i became i tree climber because i thought technolegy could never replace us yea piece of junk did fall and i would like to see it use a chain saw

 

[Adkpk]

I hate to say this, but that kind of robot isn't the real future of tree work. The real future of tree work will be in the nanotech world. Little robots the size of ants or smaller that can climb and "eat" wood. Take a box of "treebots" to the worksite, open the box at the base of the tree needing work, the little buggers climb up the tree and start their job. They can be programmed to eat only deadwood or to remove the whole tree. They automatically start at the tips/top and "eat" their way back toward the stump. No big chunks of wood to deal with, just falling sawdust for a few days. They can even be programmed to eat the stump and roots. When finished, they return to their storage box ready to be programmed and transported to the next job.

They use part of the sawdust they create as their power source so no recharging required, and it reduces the amount of sawdust falling from the tree.

Sure hope they don't screw up the software on those puppies. :greenchainsaw:

 

[Bigus Termitius]

Sure hope they don't screw up the software on those puppies. :greenchainsaw:

Even if they get it right they will screwup!

What we need to do is create robot nerds to replace the real ones. Then they too can get a good feel for what it is like.

 

[smokinj]

they got there work cut out with that thing!

 

[VA-Sawyer]

Sure hope they don't screw up the software on those puppies. :greenchainsaw:

Yes, I'm sure there will be a few mishaps during development. Having the 'treebots' start at the bottom of the tree, or at the base of a large branch could cause a few problems. Something will have to be done to prevent hackers (no pun intended) from gaining access to the 'treebot' program.
Of course sharpening the teeth on the little buggers will be a challenge. Probably will have to use an electron beam for doing that job.

I can see some plus sides to the whole idea. Line clearance work for example or maybe they could be programmed to lumber out a tree as they take it down. Put them in the tree, come back a week later and all that is left is a pile of boards and timbers ready to load on a trailer.

Of course there will always be the homeowner that thinks he can program his own 'treebots', so we will still have something to laugh about in the future.