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According to the US media Tech Xplore, a research team at the University of California (University of California, Berkeley) recently used the electrostatic adhesion principle behind insect sticky mats to upgrade the insect-grade soft robot it developed, which can successfully cross complex terrain such as mazes.
This small insect-level soft robot is also very fast, taking 5.6 seconds to pass through the 120 cm maze, which is super common insect level.
This insect-grade soft robot can carry a gas sensor for 19 minutes and 31 seconds when it is powered only by batteries. Due to its simple design, the robot remains intact even when stepped on by a 120-pounder.
The research paper, titled "Electrostatic Footpads Enable Agile Insect-Scale Soft Robots with Trajectory Control," was published June 30 in Science: Robotics.
Thesis Link:
https://robotics.sciencemag.org/content/6/55/eabe7906
<h2>First, the size of cockroaches, overcome the problem of agility and trajectory control</h2>
For soft robots that do not have rigid structures to support fast operation, achieving agility and trajectory control can be challenging.
Liwei Lin, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, said: "One of the biggest challenges today is to create small robots that retain the energy and control capabilities of larger robots. For large robots, loading large batteries and control systems is simple. But when trying to reduce the size of the robot's parts, these devices become difficult for the robot to carry, which will make the robot move very slowly. ”
The research team at the University of California designed a cockroach-sized robot in 2019.
The robot is made up of a thin layered piezoelectric film material that bends and contracts when a voltage is applied, enabling it to move at a speed of about 20 times its own length per second or about 1.5 miles per hour on a flat surface, almost as fast as a live cockroach itself, and arguably arguably the fastest of insect-sized robots.
<h2>Second, add a foot pad, the robot trajectory is completely controllable</h2>
Lin Liwei said: "Our original robot can move very fast, but we really can't control the robot to the left or right, a lot of times the robot is random movement. Because sometimes the slight manufacturing difference causes the robot to be asymmetrical, it will be biased to one side. ”
In a recent study, the team added two electrostatic foot pads to their insect-grade soft-bodied robot. The researchers applied voltage to either foot pad increased the electrostatic force between the foot pad and the surface it touched, allowing the foot pad to stick more firmly to the surface, enabling the rest of the robot's body to rotate around the foot pad.
These two foot pads give the operator full control over the robot's trajectory, enabling the robot to turn successfully with a centripetal acceleration exceeding most insects.
<h2>3. Super common insect performance, 5.6 seconds through the 120 cm maze orbit</h2>
To demonstrate the agility of the insect-grade soft robot, the research team filmed the robot walking through the Lego maze, while also carrying a small gas sensor that senses when a turn is needed to avoid falling debris. The robot finally managed to pass through a 120 cm track in the maze in 5.6 seconds.
Insect-grade soft robots walk through lego mazes
Lin Liwei said such a small, robust robot could be ideal for conducting search and rescue operations or investigating other dangerous situations, such as checking for possible gas leaks.
The research team powers and controls power through a small wire, demonstrating most of the robot's skills. The researchers also tried to use only internal batteries without an external power source, and the insect-grade soft robot carrying a gas sensor could also work for 19 minutes and 31 seconds.
<h2>Conclusion: Insect-grade soft robots achieve flexible movement</h2>
This insect robot achieves rapid translation and rotational movement by using the structural resonance frequency drive of the main piezoelectric film and the electrostatic foot pad respectively, with a simple structure, agility and high controllability.
Micro-robots can complete tasks that are inconvenient for large robots, and researchers have continuously optimized the design to improve their practical performance and expand the scope of use of micro-robots.