Tiny Soft Robo-Bug Survives Fly Swatter Hits While Navigating Autonomously
Researchers at EPFL create a sub-gram soft robot that combines efficient movement, basic intelligence, and extreme durability into one tiny package.
Roboticists at EPFL's Soft Transducers Laboratory create a tiny, insect-like robot that weighs less than a gram but successfully combines movement, basic intelligence, and efficiency into a single soft package. Unlike previous small robots that require external power or remote control to navigate, the DEAnsect operates independently using dielectric elastomer actuators to shift its three little legs at speeds imperceptible to the human eye.
This soft robot glides forward at 0.3 body lengths per second, which sets a new record for efficiency and sturdiness in the field of soft robotics. Despite its minuscule 190-milligram weight, the DEAnsect is strong enough to carry onboard electronics and a battery that weigh five times more than its own body.
The added electronics provide the robot with rudimentary logic, allowing it to follow a black line using a tiny optical sensor without straying onto white surfaces. Furthermore, the soft construction makes the bot incredibly durable, enabling it to survive direct hits from a fly swatter and immediately resume scooting across the floor without any delay.