Overview
Every great invention begins with a great idea! Read all the books in this series and learn about the history and impact of some of the most fascinating innovations and inventions of our time. Explore the idea's early stages of development, problems encountered along the way, and how each great has influenced our lives.
The SCRATCHbot is an unusual kind of robot. It does not have eyes! Instead, it uses touch to find its way around. It does this by using whiskers to feel what is around it, in the same way that rats and some other animals do. The scientists who invented the SCRATCHbot hope that it will help them learn more about how animals use the sense of touch. They also hope that someday it will be useful in building robots that can go places, such as a burning building, where vision cannot be used.
Did you know?
Read SCRATCHbot to learn these interesting facts and more about robots:
Rats remember what they learn by touching things with their whiskers.
SCRATCHbot's whiskers are four times as long as a real rat's whiskers.
Touch sensitive robots are used today for search and rescue.