Page 164 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

called the "snakebot." This robot thus was designed to be in a constant
state of balance, without ever getting caught up by obstacles. 105

The Balance Center in the Inner Ear Astounds Robotics
Experts

The inner ear performs a vital role in our system of balance, control-
ling our whole body at every moment and allows us to perform the deli-
cate adjustments required by a tightrope walker, for example.
This center of balance in the inner ear, known as the labyrinth, con-
sists of three small semicircular canals. They are 6.5 mm (0.26 in) in di-
ameter and, in cross-section, the hollow space inside them measures 0.4
mm (0.016 in). The three are laid out in orthogonal planes. An individual
canal senses rotations in one of three orthogonal directions. Thus the three
canals combine their results and give the ability to sense rotations in any

direction in three-dimensional space.
Inside each of these three canals is a viscous fluid. At one end of the

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