Microacrobatics: A Leap Forward in Robotic Insect Design
Boosting Performance
MIT researchers are developing robotic insects that can swarm out of mechanical hives to rapidly perform precise pollination. However, even the best bug-sized robots are no match for natural pollinators like bees when it comes to endurance, speed, and maneuverability. To address this, the researchers have overhauled their design to produce tiny, aerial robots that are far more agile and durable than prior versions.
Design Innovations
The new design chops the robot in half, with each of the four identical units having one flapping wing pointing away from the robot’s center, stabilizing the wings and boosting their lift forces. This design also frees up space for the robot to carry electronics. Additionally, the researchers created more complex transmissions that connect the wings to the actuators, or artificial muscles, that flap them. These durable transmissions reduce the mechanical strain that limited the endurance of past versions.
Less Strain, More Force
The motion of the robot’s wings is driven by artificial muscles made from layers of elastomer sandwiched between two very thin carbon nanotube electrodes and then rolled into a squishy cylinder. The actuators rapidly compress and elongate, generating mechanical force that flaps the wings. In previous designs, when the actuator’s movements reach the extremely high frequencies needed for flight, the devices often start buckling, reducing the power and efficiency of the robot. The new transmissions inhibit this bending-buckling motion, reducing the strain on the artificial muscles and enabling them to apply more force to flap the wings.
Results
The new robot can hover for about 1,000 seconds, which is more than 100 times longer than previously demonstrated. The robotic insect, which weighs less than a paperclip, can fly significantly faster than similar bots while completing acrobatic maneuvers like double aerial flips. The robot can even precisely track a trajectory that spells M-I-T.
Conclusion
The researchers’ latest design has achieved a significant leap forward in robotic insect development, with the potential to boost flight performance and endurance. The team is now aiming to push the design even further, with the goal of achieving flight for longer than 10,000 seconds and improving the precision of the robots to land and take off from the center of a flower. The ultimate goal is to install tiny batteries and sensors onto the aerial robots, enabling them to fly and navigate outside the lab.
FAQs
Q: What is the purpose of the robotic insect design?
A: The robotic insect is designed to swarm out of mechanical hives to rapidly perform precise pollination.
Q: What are the key design innovations in the new robotic insect?
A: The new design chops the robot in half, with each unit having one flapping wing pointing away from the robot’s center, stabilizing the wings and boosting their lift forces. The design also frees up space for the robot to carry electronics and features more complex transmissions that connect the wings to the actuators.
Q: How does the new design improve the performance of the robotic insect?
A: The new design reduces mechanical strain, enabling the robot to apply more force to flap the wings and achieve longer flight times and faster flight speeds.
Q: What are the next steps for the research team?
A: The team aims to push the design even further, achieving flight for longer than 10,000 seconds and improving the precision of the robots to land and take off from the center of a flower. They also plan to install tiny batteries and sensors onto the aerial robots, enabling them to fly and navigate outside the lab.
