Engineers Have Created Tiny “Brains” For Autonomous Microrobots
Scientists at Cornell University have developed an autonomous microrobot smaller than the head of an ant. It is equipped with an electronic brain and can be recharged by solar energy. Scientists believe that the main applications of such microrobots can be the delivery of drugs to the tissues of the body and the purification of the environment from pollution.
Recently, scientists have created many microrobots, but all of them required external devices for movement. Wires carrying current, magnetic field or laser action. The new device is the first that can work autonomously.
The “brain” of the new robots is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) structure that contains a thousand transistors, as well as an array of diodes, resistors and capacitors. An integrated CMOS circuit generates a signal that creates a series of square waves that define the robot’s gait. The robot’s legs are platinum-based actuators. Both the circuitry and the legs are powered by photovoltaic cells.
To demonstrate the system’s capabilities, the scientists assembled three experimental robots. A bipedal creature, a four-legged “dog” and a six-legged “ant”. All devices have been successfully tested.
