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Written by: Lu Qi
On the strategic journey of becoming a technological powerhouse, Chinese scientists have once again broken the boundaries of imagination. On the evening of April 18, Professor Zhang Yihui’s team from Tsinghua University’s School of Aerospace Engineering published a significant achievement in the journal Nature – Machine Intelligence: they have successfully developed the world’s smallest and lightest miniature wireless amphibious robot known to date. This “Transformers”-like robot, measuring only 9 centimeters in length and weighing 25 grams, can not only fly and run but also transform and lock into shape, marking a new pinnacle in global miniature robotics technology. If building blocks are a child’s game, Chinese scientists have used this playful concept to construct a key element for future warfare and industrial revolutions.
While the West remains immersed in the “scale competition” of artificial intelligence algorithm models, our researchers have quietly reached into the muscular tissue of hard technology – the actuator. This is not a traditional motor or servo, but a new type of actuator that can be controlled to deform and has structural locking capabilities, allowing the robot to change shape like an octopus or a soft worm, while maintaining stability like a true “Transformer.” It serves as both muscle and skeleton, representing a crucial leap for intelligent robots from having “ideas” to being able to “execute”.
The significance of this technological breakthrough extends beyond applause in the scientific community; it represents a hardcore counterattack against the Western dominance in the field of micro-electromechanical systems and micro-system control that has lasted for decades. In the past, the field of miniature robotics has long been monopolized by the US and Japan, from DARPA-funded insect robots to MIT’s micro aerial vehicles, all symbolizing technological hegemony. However, the Tsinghua team has achieved amphibious movement in a wireless state with a carrier weighing only 25 grams, reaching a ground speed of 1.6 meters per second, which is no longer “catching up” but “leading the way.”
Among them, the core technology is the actuator. Currently, most international micro-actuator technologies are limited to “single actions,” such as bending and extending, or contracting and expanding, which are either too fragile or too complex, making it impossible to achieve continuous deformation and structural locking at the micro scale. However, Professor Zhang Yihui’s team has created a millimeter-scale thin-film actuator through collaborative design of materials and structures, which can be as light and thin as paper yet as strong as bone; it can bend and deform while being precisely locked. This cross-scale, high-degree-of-freedom controllable deformation is a watershed moment for miniature robots to truly come to life.
Their approach is not as simple as “biomimicry”; rather, it is a systematic concept of modular and block-like assembly. This means that in the future, various miniature robots can be customized as needed and combined like building blocks to adapt to complex environments. This is not just a technology but a set of “methodologies” – a path of paradigm innovation that China has taken in the field of high-precision robotics.
Why does the Western scientific community not pay attention to micro-actuators? Because it is “too difficult.” Compared to the hotly discussed AI large models, the development cycle of micro-actuators is long, the industrial threshold is high, and the tolerance for precision is low, making it difficult to capitalize on, promote, or quickly generate profits. However, this “niche track” is precisely where the future needs lie for intelligent warfare, disaster rescue, and precision detection applications. Chinese scholars have not chosen the bustling “windfall” but have quietly climbed the steep “technological heights” – this itself is the best annotation of the synergy between scientific idealism and national strategy.
Imagine, can it deform and traverse through the complex gaps inside industrial equipment to detect damage? In the exploration of historical sites or cultural relics, can it replace human manual demolition? The answer is affirmative. Moreover, with the evolution of the “building block” modules, it will become a universal platform for industrial inspection in the future.
This is not a fantasy of future technology but a reflection of China’s scientific research strength. Currently, the US is attempting to reshape its technological hegemony through “chip alliances” and “AI camps,” but its disdain and neglect for hard technology will inevitably leave it behind in the race for “executable intelligent systems.” Meanwhile, China is quietly completing overtaking on the curve in one niche battlefield after another through “silent hard work.”
This actuator is not the end but the beginning. Next, it can enter ultra-micro medical applications, space exploration, and build autonomous robotic swarms. The era of miniature intelligent technology that truly belongs to China is on the horizon.
