The first step in building any robot is to decide what you want it to do. While most of the robot’s abilities will be unlocked with clever machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms, you need to set your robot up for success with the right mechanical features.

EYES
For a human eyeball, nice and round, turn to embedding light-sensitive receptors directly onto the surface of a 3D sphere like the team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, UC-Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

You could also add a narrow bandgap semiconductor as a photosensing material — then your robot could see in the dark with infrared light sensing. In lieu of realism, you could turn to any number of sensors to have your robot “see”:

Distance sensors and gauges – maybe an ultrasonic range finder or laser measurement sensor. Positioning sensor – room navigation or indoor localization might come in handy. A GPS system or other live tracking devices will help your robot find its way around.

Thermal imaging sensors or pressure sensors are also an option.

Facial recognition – that’s some machine learning pre-programming.

LEGS
Want to jump? Forget biomimicry. Researchers at the UC Santa Barbara use an actuator system based on elasticity. It’s a spring with rubber bands and carbon fiber slats used to shoot the bot into the air.

Or keep the biomimicry but add hydraulic systems and electric motors a la Boston Dynamics’ Atlas.

You could leave humanity behind and go the marsupial route. German engineering firm Festo took it one further and developed the BionicKangaroo.

A “tendon” in its robotic leg drives it forward and captures energy on landing. The impact drives the legs into position for the next leap on its spring-loaded legs.

GRAPHICS: Abjad Design

Stanford University engineers developed a “stereotyped nature-inspired aerial grasper” or SNAG, bird-shaped feet that can perch on any branch.

WINGS
Go classic with drone design and choose rotary wings that spin to create lift and thrust like a helicopter. These are best for hovering, vertical takeoff and changing direction quickly.

Maybe you’d rather the classic plane look and have room for a runway or launcher. Fixed wings generate lift by moving through the air and offer higher speed, longer endurance and greater stability, though your robot will be at the mercy of the weather conditions.

You could even turn to the flapping wings of insects and birds. There are complex transmission systems using gears and motors available from the Harvard team that developed a solar-powered tiny robot styled after a honey bee. A team at the University of Bristol developed a tiny flying robot that flaps its wings more efficiently than an insect, using an electrostatic “zipping” mechanism (their words).

HANDS
What kind of hand does your robot need? Do you want the classic gripper, optimized for delicacy or accuracy? Or is a suction cup plenty?
How many joints does your robot arm need? You’re not limited by human anatomy here.

Many robot hands come with sensors packed into their fingertips only, but an MIT team built a robotic finger with sensors providing continuous sensing along the finger’s entire length, allowing it to accurately identify an object after grasping it just one time.
Researchers at Columbia Engineering developed a highly dexterous robot hand that can operate in the dark. It uses tactile sensors rather than vision to manipulate objects.