bot robot is only 2 cm long and has potential applications in many fields such as search and rescue or checking the structure of mechanical equipment.
The insect robot is 2 cm long, weighs less than 2 grams and has a vertical protrusion the size of two nails. Image: Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Professor Yan Xiaojun and colleagues at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics created an insect robot that is 2 cm long, weighs less than 2 grams, and is as big as two fingernails. China Daily reported on December 2. New research published in the journal Science Advances.
Miniaturizing a robot to the size of an insect is more difficult than building a large robot, because bee-sized robots cannot be equipped with traditional engines. Therefore, finding compact energy systems has long been a challenge for global researchers.
“Disconnecting from an external power source means integrating batteries and circuit boards into the robot. However, the additional load will make the robot unable to move,” Liu Zhiwei, associate professor at Aeronautics University Beijing headquarters, said.
In 2009, Yan discovered an interesting phenomenon: beyond a certain threshold, direct current voltage causes continuous vibrations, a phenomenon usually associated with alternating current. This suggests a potential application, for example as wings for small drones.
In 2017, Yan began designing an insect robot capable of moving without external energy sources. Over the next three years, his team tested dozens of designs and tweaked parameters, but the robot still couldn’t move.
To handle it, Yan studied the movements of beetles, grasshoppers, wild horses and rabbits. Ultimately, the leopard’s jumps and runs inspired the research team to design the biomimetic insect robot BHMbot. This robot runs faster than a cockroach, and turns better. It can even go backwards and perform complex runs under wireless control.
In testing, BHMbot can squeeze through narrow spaces, reaching specific locations to perform tasks. Through the MEMS microphone, it can collect the SOS audio signal of a Bluetooth speaker buried under bricks and stones, and the audio data is then transmitted to a computer and converted into real sound, Liu said. Equipped with a tiny camera, the robot also helps take pictures inside aviation engines.
According to Yan, this tiny robot has potential applications in many fields such as search and rescue or checking the structure of mechanical equipment. They will also be further improved in the future. “Our ultimate goal is to develop a super small drone that flaps its wings and flies like a bee,” Yan added.