Feature: The World's Smallest Robots

There may soon be a robot small enough to crawl into your intestines, used to diagnose diseases, but that’s not all, you’ll find more after the jump.

Worm Robot

Inspired by polychaetes, this tiny worm robot “could one day help doctors diagnose disease by carrying tiny cameras through patients’ bodies”.

A robot designed to crawl through the human gut by mimicking the wriggling motion of an undersea worm has been developed by European scientists.

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Ants – Microbot Community

Created at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab, Ants are “a community of cubic-inch microrobots” designed “to push the limits of microrobotics by integrating many sensors and actuators into a small package. Each robot has 17 sensors including; four light sensors, four IR (infrared) receivers, bump sensors, food sensors, and a tilt sensor. They communicate with each other using two IR emitters, one mounted on the front of the robot and one mounted on the top.”

There are several levels of social behavior before reaching the goal of the ant colony. Right now, the robots can play Follow the Leader, Tag and Manhunt. Manhunt is similar to tag except there are two teams. The final game before the full-fledged Ant Farm is Capture the Flag. There are many application for robotic communities, including explosive ordnance disposal, and Mars exploration

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Tiny Wristwatch Powered Robot

Robots just keep getting smaller and the “Eco-Be!” by Citizen is no exception. This nifty gadget is driven by a wristwatch motor and controlled via infared remote. It’s powered by normal watch batteries and has quad-directional movement. Measuring just 1.8 cm wide and 2.5 cm tall, it’s the perfect cubicle companion.