A tether-less Legged Piezoelectric Miniature Robot

What is it about?

We deigned a miniature robot with the weight of 6.27 g, length of 50 mm, width of 10 mm and height of 10.5 mm at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). We used a piezoelectric material which compresses and extends by applying a sinusoidal voltage on it to cause the motion of the miniature robot. The piezoelectric patch is bonded using adhesive on a metal elastic beam with rigidity higher than the piezoelectric material in order to convert the compression and extension of the piezoelectric patch in an upward and downward movement. Rigid legs are inserted into rectangular holders and then bonded using adhesive at the bottom of the metal beam to convert this up and down movement into linear motion of the miniature robot. By putting the rigid legs at specific positions, a bidirectional motion is achieved by only switching the frequency of the applied voltage. The miniature robot was able to carry a payload of 100 g at a speed of 49.6 mm/s for forward motion and 87.9 mm/s for backward motion and was tested on a coarse concrete (rough surface).

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Why is it important?

This miniature robot and due to its simple design can be an important step forward in the field of micro-robotic, especially when manufacturing and control are considered.

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