A Non-Newtonian Fluid Robot.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Fluid Dynamics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Recent advancements in bio-inspired robots have focused on assembly, locomotion, and behavior.
• Exploration into robots based on fundamental physical phenomena, like fluid dynamics, remains a nascent field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential capabilities of robots based on fluid dynamics.
• To design and demonstrate a robot constructed entirely from non-Newtonian fluid.

Main Methods:

• Utilized non-Newtonian fluid as the robot's sole material composition.
• Employed spatial patterns of audio waves to generate shear strains for actuation.
• Demonstrated robotic primitives including locomotion, load transport, splitting, merging, shapeshifting, percolation, and counting.

Main Results:

• Successfully created a fluid robot capable of self-locomotion and transporting loads up to six times its own weight.
• Exhibited advanced functionalities such as splitting, merging, shapeshifting, and navigating through gratings.
• Achieved a counting primitive up to three and facilitated a bulk chemical synthesis reaction through multi-robot interaction.

Conclusions:

• Fluid robots represent a paradigm shift in robotic design, free from conventional constraints like skin or structural integrity.
• These robots offer superior adaptability for hostile or chaotic environments.
• Fluid robots possess unique capabilities for tasks unachievable by biological organisms or traditional machines.