Innovation at its peak
Robots have been around for the past decade. There are tons of robots that perform various tasks and are built for multiple purposes and use-case scenarios.
They also come in different shapes, sizes, and form factors that offer users a range of choices. But have you ever seen a robot that looks as tiny as a cockroach?
In movies, right?
Now it is a reality. Researchers have now built a robot that is inspired by the characteristics and form of a cockroach.
This unnamed Cockroach-like robot is developed by the researchers at the University of California, Berkley. Coming to the characteristics of this robot, it can move at a speed of 20 body lengths per second and can withstand loads up to a million times of its own weight.
Weighing in at only 0.1 kg, it can be stepped on by a human foot and withstand a weight that is equivalent to around 60kg.
The more crazy part is, once you life your foot, the robot simply picks itself up and starts moving again.
Most of the robots at this particular small scale are very fragile. We found that if we put weight on our robot, it still more or less functions
– Liwei Lin, mechanical engineer, UC, Berkley.
So, what exactly makes this robot sturdy?
By using a thin sheet of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) which by itself is a special piezoelectric material that can expand and contract when a small amount of alternating current is applied to it.
This creates a “leapfrogging” motion that makes the robot move forward.
In the video above, the cockroach-like robot can squish into small tubes and run through them at fast speeds.
It can even carry loads of up to six times of its own weight, which is demoed by fixating a peanut on top of the bot.
Currently, the bot needs to be connected to a power source to function. However, moving forward, the researchers say that future versions of the bot can be powered by a tiny battery.
What is the use of this cockroach robot?
The researchers say that such robots can be used to monitor and access really tight spaces in which traditional robots cannot go through.
Moreover, they are aiming to fit a gas sensor on the bot to check for gas leaks in small spaces.
Also, the robots can be used at times of an earthquake to detect lives underneath debris as big robots cannot go through small spaces.
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