A team of roboticists in China has developed a new type of microrobot that can continuously transform its shape and “lock” into certain configurations. The researchers say the tiny robots are similar to the robots from the Transformers movies.
A team of roboticists in China has developed a new type of microrobot that can continuously transform its shape and “lock” into certain configurations. The researchers say the tiny robots are similar to the robots from the Transformers movies.
For new microrobots, the Chinese have developed a thin-film small-sized actuator. It was manufactured by applying a silicone coating to a silicon wafer, and then transferring a polyimide film to the substrate using the transfer printing method. After that, a copper layer was added using electron beam evaporation, photolithography, and wet etching of the copper layer. Finally, laser cutting was used, writes Tech Xplore.
The researchers note that the resulting microrobots can operate untethered and take on a variety of forms, from moving vehicles (which can travel at speeds of up to 1.6 meters per second) to flying drones. They even built a robot that can do both.
The idea was to create tiny robots that could change shape on demand and then lock into the configuration needed for a specific use.
Prototypes can roll, walk, run, jump up and down, or, as a means of transportation, climb and fly.
The team suggests that the robots could be used in various fields: in biological research of small objects or in search and rescue operations.
