Part I
This man invented several mine-clearing robots.
What is his name?
Hirose Shigeo
• Signed by 150 countries
• Went into effect in 1999
• Aims to end use of mines
What is it?
The Ottawa Treaty
Which country did Hirose visit to learn about de-mining?
Afghanistan
Gryphon V moves around on four _________.
On four wheels.
What does the word biomimicry mean?
_______ + ____________
Biomimicry =
Life + Imitation
How long do anti-personal mines remain active?
50~100 years
What is Titan IX's length and width? (長さ x 幅)
1 m x .9 m (90 cm)
Hirose watched local people dig around mines using a _______.
A knife
True or False: Hirose stayed abroad to develop his robot.
False: Hirose returned to Japan to develop his robot.
What is Janine Benyus?
A) A research scientist
B) A biology teacher
C) A science writer
C) A science writer
In 2015, how many people were killed/injured by mines?
A) 6400+
B) 64000+
C) 640+
A) 6400+
Japan makes nearly ____% of the robots produced in the world.
Nearly 70%
Give one reason why people thought Titan IX couldn't work.
• It was too expensive
• It was too difficult to fix
• People thought Titan IX would take away jobs from them
Hirose's robots are a good example of
b __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ .
B i o m i m i c r y
What was the shinkansen's problem?
Why was it designed after the Kingfisher?
• The shinkansen made a very loud sound when going into tunnels
• The Kingfisher could dive into water without a splash
In 2015, what percent of victims were civilians?
78%
With its four legs, what can Titan IX do?
• Walk on rocks and sand
• Find and disarm mines
After finding a mine, how did people remove the fuse? (Choose 2)
A) With their fingers
B) With a knife
C) By blowing it up
A) With their fingers
C) By blowing it up
A company in Yamanashi has developed...
A) An insect-like robot with a metal detector
B) A machine which clears mines by detonating them
C) A robot which shows images of the mine on screen
D) A less-expensive model of Gryphon V
B) A machine which clears mines by detonating them
Why is the Eastgate Center famous?
What is it designed after?
• The Eastgate Center is famous for its environmentally friendly air-conditioning system
• It was inspired by and designed after termite mounds
What is an anti-personal mine's only purpose?
To kill or injure people
Clearing landmines can never be done without _________________________ .
Without the help of a large number of people.
Let's match: detect, detonate
[ injure explode remove
recover locate disarm ]
Detect → Locate
Detonate → Explode
Give three reasons why Gryphon V is better than Titan IX.
• Less expensive
• Easy to fix when broken
• Simple for workers to use
Fill in the blanks:
We cannot keep t________ a__________ of nature forever.