The actuator is a device with controllable deformation capabilities and is considered the “heart” of micro-robots. A research team from Tsinghua University has recently developed a film-like micro-actuator that allows micro-robots to achieve continuous shape changes and “lock” specific action forms, enhancing their adaptability to the environment.
Researchers stated that by utilizing this actuator and a “building block” design method developed by the team, they have created the smallest and lightest known micro wireless amphibious robot, measuring 9 centimeters in length and weighing 25 grams. This achievement was recently published online in the prestigious international journal “Nature – Machine Intelligence”.
Enabling robots to perform actions such as walking, running, jumping, flying, and climbing, while also being able to fix any shape at any time, is a key factor in diversifying the application scenarios of robots. It is reported that currently, small-scale actuators under 5 centimeters often struggle to achieve both continuous shape changes and configuration locking simultaneously, which severely limits the miniaturization and wireless development of robots with multiple motion modes.
Based on innovations in material and structural collaborative design methods, Professor Zhang Yihui’s research group from Tsinghua University’s School of Aerospace Engineering and the National Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics has independently developed micro-actuators as small as a few millimeters, which can be used as “deformable exoskeletons” to integrate sensors, motors, and other functional components, thereby constructing complex robotic systems.
“Making robots small, light, wirelessly controlled, and capable of complex shape switching is very challenging,” said Zhang Yihui. The new actuator has excellent deformation and locking capabilities, allowing for continuous deformation to any state and “locking” the shape through electrical control—something that has been difficult to achieve with previous small-sized actuators. The micro amphibious robot assembled using this actuator can run and fly, demonstrating agility, with a maximum ground speed of up to 1.6 meters per second.
Source: Xinhua News AgencyEditor: Bai Zhenwen Supervisor: Zhang MingReviewer: Nie Fen
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