Breakthrough Light-Driven Miniature Robot Launch System Inspired by Squirting Cucumber

TapTechNews August 12th news, a team led by Chinese scientists has developed a new type of light-driven miniature robot launch system, which is inspired by the squirting cucumber. This breakthrough research result can be applied in medicine, agriculture, aerospace, and even ballistics.

According to TapTechNews, the soft hydrogel and graphene launcher developed by the team can release energy in just 0.3 milliseconds, enabling the device to take off quickly from slippery or dry surfaces, and the flight distance reaches 643 times its own height.

This powerful propulsion ability makes it have broad application prospects in multiple fields. The research team said that the medical field is one of the key applications of this technology. Miniature medical robots can use this powerful propulsion force to deeply enter human tissues for sampling and even surgical operations. In addition, in the agricultural aspect, this technology can be used to develop intelligent seeding robots to improve agricultural efficiency. The researchers also mentioned that this technology may even be applied in the field of ballistic weapons, but it has not been deeply studied yet.

The working principle of this launch system is similar to that of the squirting cucumber. During the growth process of the squirting cucumber fruit, pressure and elastic energy are accumulated, and it bursts after maturity to quickly spread the seeds. Similarly, when the hydrogel launcher developed by the research team is irradiated by high-energy light, the graphene inside is heated, causing the water in the hydrogel to turn into water vapor. As the pressure of the water vapor increases, the hydrogel finally breaks and launches itself into the air.

It is worth noting that this launch system can not only work in the laboratory environment but also be used under natural conditions. The research team successfully conducted tests on different surfaces such as leaves, bark, and sticky liquids, demonstrating its adaptability. In addition, they also explored the possibility of using sunlight as an energy source, further expanding the application range of this technology.

The researchers said that nature, after billions of years of evolution, contains infinite wisdom and provides valuable inspiration for solving various challenges faced by humans.

This research result was published in the latest issue of Nature Materials magazine.