Ultrafast small-scale soft electromagnetic robots

Guoyong Mao; David Schiller; Doris Danninger; Bekele Hailegnaw; Florian Hartmann; Thomas Stockinger; Michael Drack; Nikita Arnold; Martin Kaltenbrunner

doi:10.1038/s41467-022-32123-4

Ultrafast small-scale soft electromagnetic robots

Guoyong Mao, David Schiller, Doris Danninger, Bekele Hailegnaw, Florian Hartmann, Thomas Stockinger, Michael Drack, Nikita Arnold, Martin Kaltenbrunner

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

High-speed locomotion is an essential survival strategy for animals, allowing populating harsh and unpredictable environments. Bio-inspired soft robots equally benefit from versatile and ultrafast motion but require appropriate driving mechanisms and device designs. Here, we present a class of small-scale soft electromagnetic robots made of curved elastomeric bilayers, driven by Lorentz forces acting on embedded printed liquid metal channels carrying alternating currents with driving voltages of several volts in a static magnetic field. Their dynamic resonant performance is investigated experimentally and theoretically. These robust and versatile robots can walk, run, swim, jump, steer and transport cargo. Their tethered versions reach ultra-high running speeds of 70 BL/s (body lengths per second) on 3D-corrugated substrates and 35 BL/s on arbitrary planar substrates while their maximum swimming speed is 4.8 BL/s in water. Moreover, prototype untethered versions run and swim at a maximum speed of 2.1 BL/s and 1.8 BL/s, respectively.

Original language	English
Article number	4456
Pages (from-to)	4456
Number of pages	11
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	13
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32123-4
Publication status	Published - 2022

Fields of science

103 Physics, Astronomy
103008 Experimental physics
103023 Polymer physics

JKU Focus areas

Sustainable Development: Responsible Technologies and Management

Access to Document

10.1038/s41467-022-32123-4

Cite this

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title = "Ultrafast small-scale soft electromagnetic robots",

abstract = "High-speed locomotion is an essential survival strategy for animals, allowing populating harsh and unpredictable environments. Bio-inspired soft robots equally benefit from versatile and ultrafast motion but require appropriate driving mechanisms and device designs. Here, we present a class of small-scale soft electromagnetic robots made of curved elastomeric bilayers, driven by Lorentz forces acting on embedded printed liquid metal channels carrying alternating currents with driving voltages of several volts in a static magnetic field. Their dynamic resonant performance is investigated experimentally and theoretically. These robust and versatile robots can walk, run, swim, jump, steer and transport cargo. Their tethered versions reach ultra-high running speeds of 70 BL/s (body lengths per second) on 3D-corrugated substrates and 35 BL/s on arbitrary planar substrates while their maximum swimming speed is 4.8 BL/s in water. Moreover, prototype untethered versions run and swim at a maximum speed of 2.1 BL/s and 1.8 BL/s, respectively.",

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AU - Mao, Guoyong

AU - Schiller, David

AU - Danninger, Doris

AU - Hailegnaw, Bekele

AU - Hartmann, Florian

AU - Stockinger, Thomas

AU - Drack, Michael

AU - Arnold, Nikita

AU - Kaltenbrunner, Martin

PY - 2022

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AB - High-speed locomotion is an essential survival strategy for animals, allowing populating harsh and unpredictable environments. Bio-inspired soft robots equally benefit from versatile and ultrafast motion but require appropriate driving mechanisms and device designs. Here, we present a class of small-scale soft electromagnetic robots made of curved elastomeric bilayers, driven by Lorentz forces acting on embedded printed liquid metal channels carrying alternating currents with driving voltages of several volts in a static magnetic field. Their dynamic resonant performance is investigated experimentally and theoretically. These robust and versatile robots can walk, run, swim, jump, steer and transport cargo. Their tethered versions reach ultra-high running speeds of 70 BL/s (body lengths per second) on 3D-corrugated substrates and 35 BL/s on arbitrary planar substrates while their maximum swimming speed is 4.8 BL/s in water. Moreover, prototype untethered versions run and swim at a maximum speed of 2.1 BL/s and 1.8 BL/s, respectively.

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