Book 15, Question 59
Why Do Some Robots Have Tank Treads?
Tank treads are belts that go around the wheels! They spread the robot's weight over a large area, so it does not sink into soft ground. They also grip rough ground.
More fun facts
- A tracked robot called PackBot helps bomb squads and soldiers check dangerous places from a safe distance.
- PackBot's flippers help push it up stairs, over curbs and through rocks, rubble and debris.
- It can climb slopes with grades up to 60 percent.
- It can survive being underwater up to 6.6 feet deep.
- The PackBot EOD weighs less than 53 pounds (24 kilograms), so one soldier can carry it.
- Its test version, called Urbie, could be thrown through a window, climb stairs and fall from a balcony.
- The same machine shop that made the first PackBot wheels also made wheels for NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers.
Sources: NASA
Questions kids ask
Who helped design PackBot?
Engineers who had worked on Mars rovers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory helped shape the robot.