Spiders and insects have an uncanny ability of climbing up walls and balancing on top of ceilings. They use sticky footpads to stick to surfaces where humans wouldn't dare.Berkeley University engineers used the electrostatic adhesion principle to create an insect-scale robot. It can pivot and swerve with the agility of a Cheetah. This allows it to navigate through complex terrain and avoid obstacles quickly.The robot is made from thin layers of material that contract and bend when electric voltage is applied. The research team showed that this simple design could be used to create a robot about the size of a cockroach. It can move across a flat surface at 20 body lengths per minute, or approximately 1.5 miles per hour. This is close to the speed of living insects and the fastest relative speed of any robot-sized insect.The research team has added two electrostatic footpads for the robot in a new study. The electrostatic force between the feet and a surface is increased by applying a voltage to one of the footpads. This makes the footpad stick better to the surface and causes the robot's rotation around it.Operators have full control over the robot's trajectory and can use the two footpads to direct the robot's turn with a centripetal acceleration far greater than that of insects."Our robot could move very quickly, but we couldn't control whether it went left or right. It would also move randomly if there were slight differences in the manufacturing process. If the robot wasn't symmetrical, it would veer to one of its sides," stated Liwei Lin, a professor at UC Berkeley. The major innovation in this research was the addition of footpads that allow it make extremely fast turns.The research team filmed the robot maneuvering Lego mazes with a small gas sensor. They also filmed it avoiding falling objects and steering to show its agility. The robot is also able to withstand being stepped on by a 120-pound person due to its simplicity.Lin stated that small, sturdy robots such as these are ideal for performing search and rescue operations, or investigating other hazardous situations like spotting potential gas leaks. The robot was "tethered," which means it is powered by an electrical wire and controlled via a small electrical cable. However, the team also created an untethered version that can be operated on battery power for as long as 19 minutes and 31 m while carrying a gas sensor.Lin stated that "one of the greatest challenges is to make smaller-scale robots that can maintain the power and control over larger robots." You can add a large battery and a control panel to larger-scale robots. The robot will move slower if you reduce the size of the elements. Our robot is fast and strong and needs very little power. It can carry electronics and sensors while also having a battery.Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch/TmRol48_DKs
