Tiny robots that can pull objects up to 2,000 times their own weight have been developed at Stanford University
The miniature robots – dubbed MicroTugs – have power equivalent to a human dragging a blue whale, according to the website detailing the development.
The scientists behind the MicroTugs took inspiration from nature, borrowing techniques used by geckos and ants in their design.
The robots could be used in factories or on building sites.
The team at Stanford, including PhD students David Christensen and Elliot Hawkes, demonstrated a 9g robot that can carry more than 1kg vertically up glass. This is equivalent to a human climbing a skyscraper while carrying an elephant.
Another one – that weighs just 20mg but can carry 500mg, was so tiny it had to be built under a microscope, using tweezers to put the parts together.
The secret to the robots’ strength lies in their sticky feet – which is copied from geckos, some of nature’s most adept climbers.
“The hardest part in the development of these guys was coming to the realization that this was possible,” Mr Christensen told the BBC.
He had worked on making things with the adhesive before but had not considered combining it with robotics.
“When we stepped back and thought about it, this was actually a really great use for our adhesives, with its tiny contact force required, and ability to engage and disengage many times a second,” he said.
Read more: Tiny robots carry up to 2,000 times their own weight
The Latest on: Miniature robots
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Miniature robots” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Miniature robots
- Lowcountry STEM students build robots, confidence thanks to nonprofiton May 9, 2024 at 3:55 pm
A group of Lowcountry students are looking to become the next generation of leaders in STEM: science, technology, engineering and math.
- A Booth Visit with Yaskawa at Automate 2024: Two Vision System Applicationson May 9, 2024 at 7:05 am
The robot distinguishes between objects (in this case, miniature toy robots) that have a very small difference and are programmed to be placed face up and face down. The robot meticulously selected ...
- Swarms of Miniature Robots Clean Up Microplastics and Microbes, Simultaneouslyon May 9, 2024 at 1:32 am
Microscale robots that mimic natural swarms, like schools of fish, have been designed to capture microplastics and bacteria from water.
- China just sent a secret mini-rover to the far side of the moon on its Chang'e 6 sample-return probeon May 8, 2024 at 7:30 am
A tiny, previously undisclosed lunar rover has been spotted strapped to the side of China's moon-bound Chang'e 6 lander in newly released pre-launch photos. The true purpose of the rover, which is ...
- Swarm of tiny snail robots stick together to form new structureson May 8, 2024 at 6:15 am
Researchers have built a swarm of miniature, snail-inspired robots, minus all the mucus. Instead, a retractable suction cup works in tandem with the remote-controlled machine’s tank-like treads to ...
- Video shows how swarms of miniature robots simultaneously clean up microplastics and microbeson May 8, 2024 at 5:00 am
When old food packaging, discarded children's toys and other mismanaged plastic waste break down into microplastics, they become even harder to clean up from oceans and waterways. These tiny bits of ...
- Swarms of miniature robots clean up microplastics and microbes, simultaneously (IMAGE)on May 8, 2024 at 5:00 am
To clean water, researchers have designed swarms of tiny, spherical robots (light yellow) that collect bacteria (green) and small pieces of plastic (gray). Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not ...
- Photo reveals ‘secret robot’ attached to China’s Moon rocket that was NOT disclosed before launchon May 8, 2024 at 4:44 am
CHINA may have snuck a secret mini-rover onto the Chang’e-6 lunar rocket that is currently on its way to the far side of the Moon, new images reveal. The Chang’e-6 mission was supposed ...
- China may have sent secret robot to Moon’s far side in Chang’e 6 launchon May 7, 2024 at 5:50 pm
That looks like a previously undisclosed mini rover on the side of the Chang'e-6 lander lol ... suggests that the undisclosed robot has an infrared imaging spectrometer.
- Swarms of miniature robots clean up microplastics and microbes, simultaneously (video)on May 7, 2024 at 5:00 pm
When old food packaging, discarded children’s toys and other mismanaged plastic waste break down into microplastics, they become even harder to clean up from oceans and waterways. These tiny bits of ...
via Bing News