In plenty of movies, we have seen giant robots performing marvelous feats. However, we know that they are a part of fiction and they are nearly impossible to recreate on a full scale. On the other hand, creating tiny robots is something we can do. MIT has pushed the limit of robotics by creating several tiny robotic insects that can perform fast maneuvers and fly.
Each robot has different functions. One is used to walk over the surfaces of water, and another attempts to hover in the air for as long as possible. To do this, each robot weighs less than a paperclip. However, it’s impossible to create motion at this scale without using extremely small motors. The robot itself has artificial muscles that flap the wings for the robot. The engineers apply carbon nanotubes, carbon tubes with a diameter of a few nanometers (for reference, 1 nanometer is 0.0000001 of a centimeter), to two sides of a plastic. By applying different charges to the carbon nanotubes, the plastic stretches, shrinks, and creates movement.
Every robot must also be extremely sturdy. Because of how small each robot is, it must be able to withstand falls and survive impacts. That’s why the plastic is also self-healing. Because of the way nanotubes are applied, the plastic can self-heal and recover from damage done to it. Tests by MIT have shown the robots recovering from multi-story drops, cacti spines, lasers, and more.
Other tiny robots, such as the Sensiworm (an inch-long robot used to inspect jet engine parts without taking apart the entire engine), have been used for inspection and healthcare. These robots can also serve other purposes, such as search and rescue. For now, we will have to just keep creating new bots and see where we can use them, such as in surgical operations and accessing confined spaces.
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