Beihang University Develops Micro-sized 'Insect' Robot

TapTechNews May 22nd news, according to CCTV News report, the research team of Beihang University spent 15 years independently developing a micro-sized bionic robot - the "insect" robot.

It is reported that the design inspiration of the "insect" robot comes from cockroaches. It is only the size of a coin, and its weight is almost the same as that of insects with a similar volume. The unloaded weight is about 200 milligrams. The shell is made of carbon fiber and is equipped with a chip independently designed by researchers, a miniature microphone, and a battery tailored to the size, etc., and supports Bluetooth remote control. TapTechNews noticed that currently, this robot does not have a dedicated "charging pile" and needs to rely on manual charging. It can crawl for 10 minutes after charging for 2 minutes.

According to the introduction, the most important breakthrough of the "insect" robot is the power technology. The researchers used the electromagnetic vibration phenomenon that occurs in the electromagnetic field environment to create an "insect" robot that can crawl, and it can achieve rapid straight movement and rotation only with the front legs.

Laboratory test data shows that currently, the "insect" robot can move forward 37 centimeters per second when the battery is loaded, and it is even faster in the unloaded environment. The fastest speed can reach 45 centimeters per second, which is already comparable to the speed of cockroaches.

The "insect" robot is expected to be applied in the fields of assisting post-disaster search and rescue, damage detection of large mechanical equipment and infrastructure in the future. Currently, the researchers are planning and designing the autonomous movement plan for the "insect" robot.