Tech Briefs Magazine - November 2021 - 50

Robotics & Automation
NEW!
4 AXIS SERVO
from
2.25 "
The microscopic robots consist of a simple circuit made from silicon photovoltaics - essentially the
torso and brain - and four electrochemical actuators that function as legs. When laser light shines
on the photovoltaics, the robots walk. (Image: Cornell University)
The new robots each consist of a simple
circuit made from silicon photo-
brushed or bldc motors
- 5 amps per axis
- 16 analog inputs
- 16 on/off drivers
- home and limit in
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- made in the USA
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voltaics - which essentially functions as
the torso and brain - and four electrochemical
actuators that function as legs.
Since there were no small, electrically
activatable actuators that could be used,
the team had to invent them and then
combine them with the electronics.
Using atomic layer deposition and
lithography, they constructed the legs
from strips of platinum only a few dozen
atoms thick, capped on one side by a
thin layer of inert titanium. Upon applying
a positive electric charge to the platinum,
negatively charged ions adsorb
onto the exposed surface from the surrounding
solution to neutralize the
charge. These ions force the exposed
platinum to expand, making the strip
bend. The ultra-thinness of the strips
enables the material to bend sharply
without breaking. To help control the
3D limb motion, the researchers patterned
rigid polymer panels on top of
the strips. The gaps between the panels
function like a knee or ankle, allowing
the legs to bend in a controlled manner
and thus generate motion.
The researchers control the robots
by flashing laser pulses at different
photovoltaics, each of which charges
up a separate set of legs. By toggling
the laser back and forth between the
front and back photovoltaics, the robot
walks. The robots are compatible with
standard microchip fabrication and op -
erate with low voltage (200 millivolts)
and low pow er (10 nanowatts). Because
they are made with standard lithoFree
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Cov
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ToC
The robots are about 5 microns thick, 40 mi -
crons wide, and range from 40 to 70 microns
in length - roughly the same size as microorganisms
like paramecium. (Image: Cornell Uni -
versity)
graphic pro cesses, they can be fabricated
in parallel: about 1 million bots fit
on a 4 " silicon wafer.
The researchers are exploring ways to
equip the robots with more complicated
electronics and onboard computation
- improvements that could one day
result in swarms of microscopic robots
crawling through and restructuring ma -
terials, suturing blood vessels, or being
dispatched en masse to probe large
swaths of the human brain.
For more information, contact Jeff Tyson
at jeff.tyson@cornell.edu; 607-793-5769.
Tech Briefs, November 2021
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Tech Briefs Magazine - November 2021

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