Build a Very Small Robot: Make The World's Smallest Wheeled Robot With A Gripper.

Step 9 Building Even Smaller Robots

Pic 11 shows the Magbot R-21, the smallest magnetically powered robot with a functional gripper I have made so far. At .22"x.20"x.25" it is around 1/100 of a cubic inch. By eliminating the wheels and one pivot point (gimbal), the robot is much smaller than the wheeled version. It slides on the metal frame not quite as smoothly as the one with wheels. The wire tail allows the robot to rock back to lift the gripper.

Such a configuration could be used to create a microscopic sized robot. The problem at this point, is to either use conventional IC technology to create thin film mechanical structures, or to come up with some other alternative for creating microscopic structures. I am working on it.


These small robots represent one of the easiest ways to get a lot of motion in a small space. There are many other possible configurations of on board magnets and external magnetic fields that could produce very interesting robots. For example, using more than three or more rotating or pivoting magnets on a robot, could result in more degrees of freedom and more precise manipulation of the gripper.

Comments

[Xyver]

Very cool.

[Jawa888]

that is seriously coool