Recent Comments

    flying microbots tagged posts

    Using Static Electricity, Microrobots can land and Stick to Surfaces

    May 22, 2016, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    The RoboBee, pioneered at the Harvard Microrobotics Lab, uses an electrode patch and a foam mount that absorbs shock. The entire mechanism weighs 13.4 mg, bringing the total weight of the robot to about 100mg -- similar to the weight of a real bee. The robot takes off and flies normally. When the electrode patch is supplied with a charge, it can stick to almost any surface, from glass to wood to a leaf. To detach, the power supply is simply switched off. Credit: Harvard Microrobotics Lab/Harvard University

    The RoboBee, pioneered at the Harvard Microrobotics Lab, uses an electrode patch and a foam mount that absorbs shock. The entire mechanism weighs 13.4 mg, bringing the total weight of the robot to about 100mg — similar to the weight of a real bee. The robot takes off and flies normally. When the electrode patch is supplied with a charge, it can stick to almost any surface, from glass to wood to a leaf. To detach, the power supply is simply switched off. Credit: Harvard Microrobotics Lab/Harvard University

    New system extends the lives of flying microrobots. Call them the RoboBats. In a recent article in Science, Harvard roboticists demonstrate that their flying microrobots, nicknamed RoboBees, can now perch during flight to save energy – like bats, birds or butterflies...

    Read More