Cornell University researchers have developed microscale robots that are smaller than 1 millimeter in size. These robots are initially printed as a 2D hexagonal “metasheet,” but with the application of electricity, they can transform into preprogrammed 3D shapes and move around.
The unique design of these robots is based on kirigami, a technique similar to origami, where slices in the material allow for folding, expanding, and crawling. The team’s study, titled “Electronically Configurable Microscopic Metasheet Robots,” has been published in Nature Materials, with postdoctoral researchers Qingkun Liu and Wei Wang as co-lead authors, under the leadership of Professor Itai Cohen.
These microscale robots are made up of around 100 silicon dioxide panels connected by over 200 actuating hinges, each just 10 nanometers thin. When activated through electrochemical means, these hinges facilitate the folding and unfolding of the panels, enabling the robot to change its shape and size by up to 40%. By selectively activating different hinges, the robot can take on various forms and even wrap around objects before flattening back into a sheet.
The team envisions the future of metasheet technology involving the integration of flexible mechanical structures with electronic controllers to create ultra-responsive “elastronic” materials. These materials could have applications in reconfigurable micromachines, biomedical devices, and impact-responsive materials that react almost instantaneously.
With the ability to harvest energy from light, these active metamaterials could potentially respond to stimuli in programmed ways, exhibiting behaviors beyond what is naturally possible. This concept of elastronic materials could lead to the development of intelligent matter governed by physical principles that push the boundaries of what we currently know.
Overall, the creation of these versatile microscale robots opens up a world of possibilities for future technological advancements and applications in various fields. The fusion of kirigami design with electronic control systems paves the way for innovative solutions that could revolutionize industries ranging from healthcare to engineering. The potential for materials that can adapt, respond, and move autonomously brings us one step closer to a new era of intelligent and dynamic technology.
