Tiny Robot with Sun Power Tracks Soil Moisture, Detects Gas Leaks

Scientists from the University of Washington presented Prototype Millimobile robot, designed for a long move without the need for frequent charging. A tiny four-haired robot has a size of only 10 mm on each side and weighs about 1 gram.

The key feature of Millimobile is that the robot does not have a built-in battery. Instead, it is equipped with two engines, a sucker chassis, a folding printed circuit board, a light sensor, solar elements, and an antenna.

In addition, the robot is capable of transporting a load with a mass that exceeds its own three times. For example, cameras and environmental sensors.

The real dimensions of the robot Millimobile:

The robot moves along flat surfaces, such as floors or asphalt, using the energy of the surrounding light and radio waves. The speed of his movement is low, but even on a cloudy day, he is able to overcome the distance of about 9 m per hour.

The researchers have not yet managed to achieve continuous movement, so the robot consistently overcomes small segments of the path. Kyle Johnson, co-author of the study, noted that the idea for the robot was inspired by the concept of “intermittent calculations”, which divides complex tasks into small steps, allowing the device to work as it is affordable for energy.

Using a light sensor, a robot can independently move towards its source. In the tests, Millimobile successfully transmitted data from built-in light sensors, temperature, and humidity via Bluetooth.

In the future, many such robots can interact with each other, exchanging data. Potential areas of application include soil moisture monitoring on farms, equipment inspection at factories, or detection of gas leaks.

/Reports, release notes, official announcements.