Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researchers unveil Picotaur, a fingertip-sized micro robot that can not only run and turn, but also play soccer…sort of. Its legs are driven by multiple actuators so it can achieve various locomotion capabilities.
Thanks to multiple gait patterns, it can walk like other hexapod robots, similar to how cockroaches move, but it also has the ability to move from the ground to overcome obstacles. This 7.9 mm robot was created using a 3D-printer with two-photon polymerization, a process previously successful in building various small-scale robotic systems in the lab such as microbots, microgrippers, microswimmers, and microsensors.
- Build two boxing robots that are powered by hydraulics!
- Learn about the physics, design, and components of hydraulic (water-powered) mechanisms, including gears, cylinders, and pistons.
- The upper and lower body move independently to simulate real-life movements, allowing these boxing bots to dodge, jab, and punch with accuracy.
Historically, microfabrication technology was limited in manufacturing microscale devices in two-dimensional spaces, like for the semiconductor industry. But now we have this capability to expand the design space from 2D to 3D. We can apply this process to create other small-scale robotic systems for various applications, for example, microgrippers for grasping and delivering small objects for surgical applications and microscale manufacturing applications,” said Sukjun Kim, Ph.D. Alumni, Mechanical Engineering at CMU.
