Robots do not need batteries, no wires are still running well

In the future, this type of robot can be applied in biomedical as well as how it works will be another smart electronic device development platform.

Traditional Japanese origami art can tell a simple piece of paper into complex, three-dimensional shapes through folds.

Robot folding / folding robot based on this principle is emerging as a horizon for designing new robots. But because they often require onboard batteries or connect wires to power sources, they become bulky and have limited functionality.

A group of researchers at the Wys Institute for Biological-inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (Harvard University) have created a battery-free, complex motion-capable folding robot. Sundry, controlled via wireless magnetic field.

Research on the magic robot mentioned above is reported in the scientific journal Science Robotics.

Thanks to a special structure, this robot does not need batteries and wires but can still receive energy and perform movements according to control - (Photo: Wyss Institute at Harvard University).

Co-author and research doctor Je-sung Koh said: "Like origami, one key point in our design is simplicity. This system only requires basic mechatronic parts, passive on the robot to provide electricity, the structure of the robot will take care of the rest '.

The team's robots are flat and thin, plastic tetrahedrons, with three outer triangles connected to the central triangle by hinges and a small circuit on the center triangle. Attached to the hinge are coils made of metal called shape-memory alloy (SMA) - which can recover the original shape after deforming by heating to a temperature certain.

When the robot hinge lies flat, the SMA coils are pulled out in their "deformed" state; When the current passes through the circuit, the coils are heated up, they return to their original state, shrinking like small muscle fibers and aligning the robot's outer triangle into the center. When the current is stopped, the SMA coils are stretched due to the stiffness of the hinge fold, thereby lowering the outer triangles.

The current required for the movement of the robot is transmitted wirelessly using electromagnetic power transmission , the same technology used inside wireless charging pads to recharge batteries into mobile phones and other devices. Other small electronic devices.

Robots based on origami art of different sizes when released will look like this - (Photo: Wyss Institute at Harvard University).

Dr. Mustafa Boyvat, the lead author of the study at Wyss Institute and SEAS, explains: "Not only are robot movements repetitive, we can control when and where they occur, it also allows its movements to be more complicated '.

Like muscles in the human body, SMA coils can only shrink and expand: the structure of the robot body - joints origami - that make these spasms into specific movements. To demonstrate this ability, the team built a small robotic arm capable of bending to the left and right, as well as opening and closing, clamping around an object.

There are many applications for this kind of compact robot technology like endoscopy. Or if using a larger power coil, can allow battery-free, wireless communication between many "smart" devices throughout the house.

Boyvat said: "It is still possible to shrink this robot a lot. We do not think it has reached the smallest level and we are very happy to develop these designs for biomedical applications."