Imagine a swarm of tiny robots, the size of a palm that unfolds in the territories affected by natural disasters. Mini-robots mapping the polluted areas, looking for survivors, determine the directions of the spread of forest fires. The same machines can clean the battlefields from mines, participate in rescue missions after earthquakes or monitor the condition of the soil on farms.
Specialists developed the design of a small and durable robot, which can be printed on a 3D printer for just for only a few hours. Thanks to this, mass production of hundreds of such devices within one day became possible.
Developed machines are designed to work in difficult and unpredictable conditions. They can be lost or fail, but their low cost and mass production compensate for such risks. The design includes both rigid and soft elements, which makes robots more resistant to damage.
The authors of the work claim that the created robots can survive the fall from the helicopter or the car hit, and then get up and continue to move. Mini-machines are able to move along stones, sand, overcome steep slopes and adapt to different landscapes.
The robots are equipped with limbs with semi-slide links and soft joints, resembling the structure of mammals or reptile paws. Because of this, robots are more stable when moving along rough terrain. Unlike completely rigid structures that are forced to make sharp adjustments in order to maintain balance, these robots adapt to the relief smoothly and naturally.
The 3D printer used for the production of robots is able to simultaneously print parts with varying degrees of stiffness, and electronics are added manually during printing. In the future, such a process can also be automated and customized for specific conditions – movement through narrow passages, overcoming slippery surfaces or work under water.
At the moment, the laboratory is developing applications for the clearance of territories and monitoring the environment. For example, Robot searches can monitor the condition of the glaciers, fixing their movement and change in structure.