Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Mechanical Efficiency of Real Machines

Mechanical Efficiency of Real Machines

The mechanical efficiency of a machine is a fundamental concept that describes how effectively a machine can convert input work into output work. According to this concept, the efficiency of a machine is equal to the ratio of the output work to the input work. An ideal machine, meaning a machine that has no energy losses, has an efficiency of one. This implies that the input work and the output work are equal.
However, in reality, no machine can be truly ideal, and all of them experience some...

Machines

Machines

Machines are complex structures consisting of movable, pin-connected multi-force members that work together to transmit forces. One example of a machine is the cutting plier, which is used to cut wires by applying forces to its handles. When equal and opposite forces are exerted on the handles of the cutting plier, they cause the cutting edges to come together and apply equal and opposite reaction forces on the wire, which are greater than the applied forces.
A free-body diagram of the...

Mechanical Systems

Mechanical Systems

Mechanical systems are analogous to to electrical networks where springs and masses play similar roles to inductors and capacitors, respectively. A viscous damper in mechanical systems functions similarly to a resistor in electrical networks, dissipating energy. The forces acting on a mass in such systems include an applied force in the direction of motion, counteracted by forces from the spring, a viscous damper, and the mass's acceleration. This interplay of forces is mathematically described...

Electro-mechanical Systems

Electro-mechanical Systems

Electromechanical systems are intricate configurations that effectively combine electrical and mechanical elements to achieve a desired outcome. Central to many of these systems is the DC motor, a device that converts electrical energy into mechanical motion, enabling various applications ranging from simple fans to complex robotic mechanisms.
A key component of the DC motor is the armature, a rotating circuit positioned within a magnetic field. As an electric current passes through the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Validation of <i>De Novo</i> Designs of Solid-Binding Peptides.

ACS central science·2026

Same author

Superconducting phase diagram of multilayer square-planar nickelates.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Interplay of Noncovalent Interactions in Phase Separation Mediated by Tyrosine-Rich and Arginine-Rich Polypeptides.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

The hippocampus as a small-world cognitive map.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Atomic-Scale Imaging of Lithium Vacancies in a Battery Cathode by Multislice Electron Ptychography.

Nano letters·2026

Same author

Using Aberrations to Improve Dose-Efficient Tilt-corrected 4D-STEM Imaging.

Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada·2026

Same journal

High-precision memristor-based computing.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

Boundary geometry controls a topological defect transition that determines lumen nucleation in embryonic development.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

Surface geometry controls bulk topological defects that govern embryonic structures.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

Electron-phonon coupling and symmetry breaking in superconducting oxide interfaces near ferroelectric quantum criticality.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

A highly conductive polar metal with efficient charge-spin conversion.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

Giant and broadband circular dichroism from particle-hole symmetry breaking in Weyl semimetals.

Nature materials·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Published on: December 1, 2017

Electronically configurable microscopic metasheet robots.

Qingkun Liu^1,2, Wei Wang^1,3, Himani Sinhmar³

¹Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.

Nature Materials

|September 11, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Microscopic robots now morph shape using kirigami structures and electrochemical hinges. These "metabots" achieve locomotion by electronically controlling their shape, opening doors for advanced micro-robotics.

More Related Videos

The Modular Design and Production of an Intelligent Robot Based on a Closed-Loop Control Strategy

The Modular Design and Production of an Intelligent Robot Based on a Closed-Loop Control Strategy

Published on: October 14, 2017

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes

Published on: February 28, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2026

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Published on: December 1, 2017

The Modular Design and Production of an Intelligent Robot Based on a Closed-Loop Control Strategy

The Modular Design and Production of an Intelligent Robot Based on a Closed-Loop Control Strategy

Published on: October 14, 2017

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes

Published on: February 28, 2020

Area of Science:

Robotics
Materials Science
Metamaterials

Background:

Microscopic locomotion is crucial for organisms but difficult to engineer in robots.
Miniaturization challenges have limited the development of shape-morphing micro-robots.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate microscopic, electronically configurable, morphing metasheet robots.
To overcome miniaturization challenges in creating shape-morphing micro-robots.

Main Methods:

Utilized kirigami structures with electrochemically actuated hinges (10 nm to 100 μm).
Organized panels into unit cells capable of 40% expansion/contraction within 100 ms.
Tiled unit cells into metasheets with over 200 hinges and independent electronic actuation regions.

Main Results:

Achieved local expansion in sub-millimetre robots (~1 mm).
Enabled robots to switch between multiple target geometries with distinct curvature distributions.
Generated locomotory gaits through electronically actuated regions with prescribed phase delays.

Conclusions:

Advanced a metamaterial paradigm for microscopic, continuum, compliant, programmable robots.
Paved the way for reconfigurable micromachines, tunable optical metasurfaces, and miniaturized biomedical devices.