Researchers at Harvard University have engineered a new small robot modeled after springtails, showcasing significant advancements in microrobotics. The robot, an upgraded version of the Harvard Ambulatory Microrobot (HAMR), utilizes a tail-like appendage called a furcula to facilitate jumping. This mechanism, which stores potential energy and releases it quickly, mimics the biological jumping techniques found in nature. This innovation has potential applications in various fields, enabling robots to navigate through tight spaces and operate autonomously in challenging environments.
"Springtails are interesting as inspiration, given their ubiquity, both spatially and temporally across evolutionary scales. They have this unique mechanism that involves rapid contact with the ground, like a quick punch, to transfer momentum and initiate the jump.”
"To go airborne, the robot uses what's called latch-mediated spring actuation, in which potential energy is stored in an elastic element -- the furcula -- that can be deployed in milliseconds like a catapult.”
"It seemed natural to try to explore the use of a similar mechanism, along with insights from springtail jumps, for small jumping robots.”
"The new Harvard robot was created in the lab of Robert J. Wood, the Harry Lewis and Marlyn McGrath Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at SEAS.”
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