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The caterpillar’s inventor，Norihiko Saga of Akita Prefectural University in Japan，will demonstrate his new method of locomotion at a conference on magnetic materials in Seattle.In addition to lights and cameras，a search caterpillar could be equipped with an array of sensors to measure other factors--such as radioactivity or oxygen levels—that could tell human rescuers if an area is safe to enter.
The magnetic caterpillar is amazingly simple.It moves by a process similar to peristalsis，the rhythmic contraction that moves food down your intestine.Saga made the caterpillar from a series of rubber capsules filled with a magnetic fluid consisting of iron particles，water，and a detergent—like surfactant，which reduces the surface tension of the fluid：Each capsule is linked to the next by a pair of rubber rods.The caterpillar’s guts are wrapped in a clear，flexible polymer tube that protects it from the environment.
To make the caterpillar move forwards，Saga moves a magnetic field backwards along the caterpillar.Inside the caterpillar’s“head”capsule.magnetic fluid surges towards the attractive magnetic field，causing the capsule to bulge out to the sides and draw its front and rear potions up.As the magnetic field passes to the next capsule，the In'st breaks free and springs forward and the next capsule bunches up.In this way，the caterpillar Call reach speeds of 4 centimeters per second as it crawls along.
Moving the magnetic field faster can make it traverse the caterpillar before all the capsules have sprung back to their original shapes.The segments then all spring back，almost but not quite simultaneously. Saga plans to automate the movement of the caterpillar by placing electromagnets at regular intervals along the inside of its polymer tube.By phasing the current flow to the electromagnets，he’ll be able to control it wirelessly via remote control.He also needs to find a new type of robber for the magnetic capsules，because the one he’s using at the minute eventually begins to leak.
But crawling is not the most efficient form of locomotion for robots，says Roben Full of the University of Cali— fomia at Berkeley.an expert in animal motion who occasionally advises robotics designers.“If you look at the ener- getic cost of crawling，compared to walkig，swimming or flying，crawling is very expensive，”he says.Walking， on the other every step，energy is conserved in the foot and then released to help the foot spring up. Saga acknowledges this inefficiency but says his caterpillar is far more stable than one that walks，rolls on wheels or flies.It has no moving parts save for a few fluid—filled rubber capsules.Biped robots and wheeled robots require a smooth surface and are difficult to miniaturize，and flying rob6ts have too many moving parts. “My peri- staltic crawling robot is simple and it works，”he says.
56.From this passage，we can learn that_____.
[A]a robotic caterpillar can crawl by a pair of rubber rods
[B]when a caterpillar moves，the magnetic field movies backwards along it
[C]the environment couldn’t influence a robotic caterpillar’s guts，which are wrapped in a capsule
[D]crawling is very stable and efficient，and when it moves，only a few elements are needed
57.According to this passage，which is not true about the construction of the robotic caterpillar?
[A]A robotic caterpillar is made from a series of rubber capsules filled with a magneti fluid.
[B]Iron particles，water，and a detergent-like surfactant form a magnetic fluid.
[C]Each capsule filled with a magnetic fluid is linked to the next by a pair of rubber rods.
[D]In order to keep stable condition，the caterpillar’s guts are wrapped in a clear，flexible polymer tube.
58.The meaning of the word“peristalsis”in Paragraph 3 is similar to_____.
[A]swimming
[B]flying
[C]crawling
[D]walking
59.Comparing the robotic caterpillar and the other robots，which of the following is not true?
[A]A smooth surface is indispensable to biped robots and wheeled robots.
[B]Flying robots are very inconvenient when moving，because they have too many moving parts.
[C]The robotic caterpillar only has rubber capsules filled with a magnetic fluid.
[D]It’s incapable for wheeled robots to locate trapped people because they are impossible to miniaturize.
60.The passage is mainly about______.
[A]why a robotic caterpillar Call find trapped people
[B]how a robotic caterpillar works
[C]the instruction of the magnetic caterpillar
[D]how a robotic caterpillar crawls
