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World's Smallest Walking Robot Is Tinier Than a Flea, Has a Width of Just 0.019"

Micro-sized robots could have a plethora of applications, with their dimensions allowing them to perform various practical tasks inside tightly confined spaces. They could help us repair or assemble small structures, they could serve as surgical assistants in minimally invasive medical procedures, and more. Engineers at Northwestern University in Illinois have managed to develop such a tiny machine and they say it is the smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot.
Tiny robotic crab is smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot 6 photos
Photo: NorthwesternU/YouTube
Tiny robotic crab is smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robotTiny robotic crab is smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robotTiny robotic crab is smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robotTiny robotic crab is smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robotTiny robotic crab is smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot
This is not the first time researchers from Northwestern University make the headlines with one of their engineering achievements. These are the same guys who created what was described as the “world’s smallest flying structure”, which was unveiled last fall under the name of microflier. The size of a grain of sand, the flying microchip had small wings and used the power of the wind to catch a flight, instead of an engine.

Now researchers have done it again, coming up with another barely visible robot that looks like a tiny crab and is just half-millimeter (0.019”) wide. Smaller than a flea, the robotic crab doesn’t consist of any advanced components. Just like the microflier, the tiny crab-like robot is not powered by hydraulics or electricity either, but it still manages to perform a variety of movements. It can walk, turn, crawl, twist, and bend.

The robot is made from a shape-memory alloy material that changes its shape when heated. Engineers also used a thin coating of glass for it. As it heats up or cools, the robot deforms or transforms into its original shape, creating locomotion. The tiny structure is remotely controlled, with researchers using a scanning laser, which heats the robot and also determines its walking direction. For instance, scanning from left to right causes the robot to move from right to left.

As for the shape chosen for the micro-robot, researchers admit there was no scientific reason behind it, but their students felt amused by the sideways crawling motions of tiny crabs, so they went with it. However, this technology allows them to develop robots in any shape or size.

For now, the research involving the tiny robotic crabs is just exploratory, but it is highly possible for these little guys to someday be used by doctors to clear clogged arteries or eliminate cancerous tumors.

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About the author: Cristina Mircea
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Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars.
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