According to a paper published on the 21st in the journal Science Robotics, researchers from Cornell University have installed electronic “brains” smaller than an ant’s head on solar-powered robots measuring between 100 and 250 micrometers, allowing them to walk autonomously without external control.
(A) Micro robot next to an ant. (B) Enlarged view of the robot. (C) One leg of the robot, composed of rigid panels and movable hinges. (D) CAD layout image of the circuit with marked main circuit block. (E) Optical microscope image of the micro robot control circuit. Image source: Science Robotics
This innovation lays the foundation for a new generation of micro devices that can track bacteria, sniff out chemicals, destroy pollutants, perform microsurgery, and clear plaque from arteries.
The “brain” of this new type of robot is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) clock circuit, which contains 1,000 transistors, along with an array of diodes, resistors, and capacitors. The integrated CMOS circuit generates a signal that produces a series of phase-shifted square wave frequencies, thereby setting the robot’s gait. The robot’s legs are platinum-based actuators, and both the circuit and legs are powered by photovoltaics.
The new robot is only one ten-thousandth the size of large robots equipped with onboard CMOS electronics and can walk at speeds exceeding 10 micrometers per second.
Researchers had previously developed micro robots capable of crawling, swimming, walking, and folding themselves, but they were always tethered by “wires.” To generate movement, these wires were used to provide current, or a laser beam had to be focused directly on a specific location on the robot.
“Previously, we had to manipulate these ‘wires’ to get any form of response from the robot,” said Ithai Cohen, a physics professor at Cornell University. “Now that we have these brains, it’s like untethering a marionette, as if Pinocchio has gained consciousness.”
(Source: This text and images are reproduced from China Science and Technology Network. If there are any inaccuracies in the text, please feel free to contact us, and we will make timely amendments.)
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