Tiny magnetically-levitated robots could change the game for robotics

An example of a structure built by magnetically levitated micro robots (Photo: SRI International)
Magnetically levitated micro robots are tiny but they can build fairly durable structures (Photo: SRI International)
Magnetically levitated micro robots are tiny but they can build fairly durable structures (Photo: SRI International)
An example of a structure built by magnetically levitated micro robots (Photo: SRI International)
Magnetically levitated micro robots can plant carbon rods at different angles (Photo: SRI International)
Magnetically levitated micro robots can plant carbon rods at different angles (Photo: SRI International)
Magnetically levitated micro robots can manipulate objects made of different materials (Photo: SRI International)
Magnetically levitated micro robots are capable of performing fairly complex actions, such as operating a syringe (Photo: SRI International)
Magnetically levitated micro robots are simple to scale down and could potentially be combined into complex robotic systems (Photo: SRI International)
The past five to ten years have seen the birth of microbotics. A whole range of components that are vital for building robots, such as actuators, motors or batteries, became available in micro-scale only fairly recently. Finally enthusiasts got what they needed to put their own systems together, and the whole field benefited from their work. But there are obvious limitations to scaling down robots full of sensors, motors, and other mechanisms. That is, unless you make the machines extremely simple, which is exactly what Ron Pelrine of SRI International has done. His work on levitated microrobots may have powerful implications for robotics, and is likely to bring us a step closer towards fast, precise and affordable robotic systems comprising thousands, if not millions of microrobots.
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