A Multimodal Variable-speed Microrobot With Asymmetric Multilayer Structure for Moving Agility and Adaptability.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Materials Science
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Animals exhibit adaptable locomotion for survival, a capability challenging to replicate in soft microrobots.
• Integrating multimodal locomotion with variable speeds is a significant hurdle in soft microrobot development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an agile soft piezoelectric microrobot with multimodal locomotion and variable speeds.
• To address the challenge of integrating adaptable locomotion in microrobots for complex environments.

Main Methods:

• Designed an asymmetric multilayer structure with passive layers to control motion modes.
• Utilized different resonance frequencies to achieve distinct locomotion modes and speeds.
• Fabricated and tested a prototype soft piezoelectric microrobot.

Main Results:

• The microrobot achieved speeds of 20.6 and 43.2 body lengths per second in different modes.
• Demonstrated locomotion stability over a wide temperature range and robustness to compression.
• Successfully performed tasks including climbing slopes, enhancing load-carrying speed, escaping traps, and traversing rugged terrain.

Conclusions:

• The asymmetric multilayer structure enables multimodal locomotion and variable speeds in soft microrobots without added fabrication or control complexity.
• This design offers a promising solution for creating adaptable and agile microrobots for diverse applications.
• The robot's performance surpasses many existing multimodal soft robots, approaching animal-level agility.