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This study presents a magnetically inner-actuated millirobot that overcomes high-friction environments. It achieves high thrust for locomotion and cargo transport in challenging conditions.

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Materials Science
  • Physics

Background:

  • Designing millirobots for high-friction environments is challenging due to limited force output and inefficient transmission mechanisms at small scales.
  • Existing millirobot designs struggle to generate sufficient force to overcome significant frictional resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce a novel magnetically inner-actuated millirobot capable of generating high thrust for navigating high-friction terrains.
  • To demonstrate the millirobot's ability to overcome friction and transport heavy loads in diverse environments.

Main Methods:

  • Developed an inner-actuated millirobot with a dual-coil array and a central permanent magnet.
  • Utilized magnetic interaction to propel the magnet, generating instantaneous thrust via impact.
  • Leveraged momentum conservation principles for propulsion.

Main Results:

  • The millirobot generates a thrust force exceeding 15 N with a body weight of 5.82 g.
  • Achieved a magnet velocity of 2.10 m/s within 17 ms using a 0.5 A current.
  • Successfully operated in viscous oil, traversed sand and granular media, and transported cargo over 300 times its body weight.

Conclusions:

  • The magnetically inner-actuated millirobot design offers high force capacity for high-friction and confined-space applications.
  • This propulsion method overcomes limitations of traditional millirobots in challenging environments.
  • Demonstrated potential for accessing confined tubular environments and robust cargo transportation.