Insect-sized robots that can crawl, hop and turn by harnessing the power of explosions can be cheaply produced for a range of applications
A robot powered by tiny explosions can jump 20 times its own length and carry 22 times its own weight. Its makers say it could be produced cheaply in bulk and is ideal for search-and-rescue missions or even exploring other planets.
Most robots are powered by electric motors and batteries, which are reliable, tried-and-tested technologies, but can’t be miniaturised past a certain point.at Cornell University in New York and his colleagues have turned instead methane, a chemical fuel that can store energy at a much higher density than lithium-ion batteries and be scaled down to tiny insect-sized devices.
The team created an actuator with a 3D-printed combustion chamber that weighs just 325 milligrams. A pair of electrodes create a spark and ignite a mix of methane and oxygen, and the resulting explosion pushes against a flexible membrane with 9.5 newtons of force.The membrane rapidly expands outwards during each explosion, but safely contains the gases, which are then vented as it contracts.
Next, the team created a four-legged prototype robot equipped with two of these combustion chambers, each linked to a pair of expanding membranes attached to one foot. Fuel was supplied remotely via thin pipes. The tests found the robot was capable of moving 22 times its own weight, showing that it could operateThe 29-millimetre-long, 1.6-gram robot can jump to a height of 56 centimetres and hop forwards 16 centimetres.
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