補習-University lab branches out with Treebot

A new tree-climbing robot may potentially save countless trees but has failed to convince the SAR’s leading arborist that it can ever replace humans in preventing tragic tree-related accidents and injuries.
The “Treebot” – created by the Chinese University’s Advanced Robotics Laboratory headed by Xu Yangsheng – was developed over the course of a year and stands out in being the only autonomous tree- climbing robot able to navigate complex branches.

The robot, which costs about HK$2,000 to build, is still at an experimental stage and has about a year of refining and perfecting to go.

Xu predicts the Treebot will help immensely with monitoring trees and their health, as it is often too late to save them once rot sets in.

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An early warning system would also help avoid tragedies such as the one in Stanley three years ago, when student Kitty Chong Chung-yin, 19, was crushed to death by a falling, diseased coral tree.

“There are some things that a human being just can’t do,” Xu said.

But tree expert and University of Hong Kong professor Jim Chi-yung believes placing that many robots on every tree is “unrealistic.”

He also said that many early detections of sick trees may be made from the ground level itself.

“A robot isn’t necessary,” Jim said. “You need people who know how to interpret what they see.”

Instead, he suggests that robots be used after a problem has been detected – as a way of gathering more information – rather than as a warning system.

Inspired by inchworms while he was out hiking, Xu and his team borrowed the expand-and-retract motion of the worms for Treebot, which makes it highly flexible.

It is also equipped with a camera that can send images of trees in real time, and thus act as an effective early warning system.

Another advantage of the Treebot – says Lam Tin-lum, a postdoctoral research assistant on the robotics team – is that if it “needs to be in the trees for a long time, it can also support a solar cell, so that there’s no need to stop working to recharge.”

On its own, the regular battery lasts up to three hours.

In the coming months, the lab hopes to further refine the Treebot’s monitoring skills.

“With camera lenses, if it’s too dark outside, it may be difficult to see the images even if they are projected immediately,” Lam said.

The robot is also currently not water-resistant, which may cause it to slip if it rains.