A Centimeter-Scale Quadruped Piezoelectric Robot with High Integration and Strong Robustness

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Micro-robotics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Centimeter-scale robots offer advantages in size and mobility but require high integration and robustness for practical use.
• Existing designs often face limitations in combining complex functionalities with durability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel centimeter-scale quadruped robot with enhanced locomotion, integration, and robustness.
• To demonstrate untethered movement and resilience through a unique built-in actuation method.

Main Methods:

• Designed a quadruped robot utilizing piezoelectric actuation for multi-dimensional foot vibrations.
• Integrated actuation, control, communication, and power supply into a compact, untethered system.
• Tested locomotion speed, carrying capacity, motion resolution, endurance, and robustness against physical impacts.

Main Results:

• Achieved high locomotion speed (47.38 body lengths/sec) and carrying capability (28.96x self-weight).
• Demonstrated high-resolution motion (0.33 μm step size) and untethered operation (32 min endurance).
• Showcased exceptional robustness, functioning after drops, kicks, and being stepped on by an adult.

Conclusions:

• The proposed integrated design balances high functionality with remarkable robustness in centimeter-scale robots.
• This work paves the way for advanced applications of resilient micro-robots, including image sensing.
• The novel piezoelectric actuation method offers a promising approach for future micro-robot development.