5 ms·

Insect-sized robots that can crawl, hop and turn

97 points by zdw 3y ago

inportb 3y ago
Would this be a tiny internal combustion engine?
lwhi 3y ago
Love the music contrasted with a pretty whimsically comical robot. Reminds me of a toy frog that was around in the 1980s/90s where a pressed rubber indent created a timed 'pop' which propelled the toy frog up and over.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
7373737373 3y ago
Can it jump higher than this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daaDuC1kbds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daaDuC1kbds ? If so I'd love to see them both hopping around the moon
the_third_wave 3y ago
> Robert Shepherd at Cornell University in New York and his colleagues have turned instead methane, a chemical fuel that can store energy at a much higher density than lithium-ion batteries I think they're on to something there. Imagine a larger-scale vehicle driven using this internal combustion mechanism, large enough even to carry people. It would have a much bigger range than common electric vehicles. I'm pretty sure it will even be possible to use liquefied methane or one of its larger-chained family members which would negate the use of pressure vessels to carry methane and make for a quick and easy recharge, especially compared with the batteries we're used to. I'm off to the patent office, this invention will change the world.
- lukevp 3y ago
  I know this is tongue in cheek, but normal internal combustion engines convert the explosion into rotary motion of an air pump, whereas this uses the explosion in a more direct way via the expansion of the membrane. I thought that was really cool
  - the_third_wave 3y ago
    That's a brilliant idea, to convert the up-and-down motion into a rotary one. It will give the vehicle a much smoother ride. Is it OK by you if I add this to the patent application if I include you as co-inventor?
candiodari 3y ago
Reminds me of Blackadder explaining the same concept for humans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK4Ixy2tjd8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK4Ixy2tjd8 Heh. One wonders if this research was inspired on that scene. Or perhaps on quake's rocket jumping.
tehwebguy 3y ago
One step closer to rocket jumping!
Loughla 3y ago
>“There are lots of places that this would be useful that wouldn’t be right next to a person,” he says. “I do actually think this would be a solution to search and rescue" Someone smarter than me tell me how this would be at all useful for search and rescue. I can't see it. If this thing, at a large scale, could be used, then so could a helicopter?
- Retric 3y ago
  I think the idea is to make a small robot to go through gaps in a collapsed structure. This could help figure out which pieces can be moved safely without causing further collapse. Alternatively, if you can get water to trapped people you can greatly extend how long you have to rescue someone.
- foreigner 3y ago
  "Search and rescue" is the standard excuse anytime someone invents a nifty new robot. I would love to know how many robots are actually really used in search and rescue.
  - bondarchuk 3y ago
    To be more precise, "search and rescue" is a euphemism for "warfare".
    - cooldrcool2 3y ago
      ‘Search and destroy.’
    - bglazer 3y ago
      “We’ll use it to find people in building rubble” really begs the question of why the building is rubble in the first place
the__alchemist 3y ago
> Its makers say it could be produced cheaply in bulk and is ideal for search-and-rescue missions or even exploring other planets. https://xkcd.com/2128/ https://xkcd.com/2128/
- orbifold 3y ago
  search and rescue is also code for the military might find it useful. whenever a drone is supposed to deliver aid packages to firefighters for example.
Qem 3y ago
Reminds me of the Put-Put, Orion project's chemical explosive propelled proof-of-concept prototype: http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation%20history/space/orion.htm http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation%20history/...
idiotsecant 3y ago
It's interesting that this mechanism doesn't show up in biology, I can imagine a bug with superpowered bug jump that uses methane the bug produces in its gut with helper bacteria. I suppose at very small scales flight is probably way cheaper, biologically.
- CharlesW 3y ago
  > It's interesting that this mechanism doesn't show up in biology… It's not a chemical explosion, but pistol shrimp create tiny, 4,000°C supersonic booms to kill prey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMhjqbESIeY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMhjqbESIeY
- pvaldes 3y ago
  some beetles do a similar trick
mhb 3y ago
More detail / better article: https://newatlas.com/robotics/micro-combustion-robot/ https://newatlas.com/robotics/micro-combustion-robot/ Also, it's tethered to fuel and control.
nuancebydefault 3y ago
Reminds me of cars using ICE for movement.
Animats 3y ago
Sandia built something like this about 20 years ago. It was a ball with a combustion-powered pogo stick piston. A weight inside allowed the ball to orient itself, and then the piston would be fueled and fired to launch it towards the next destination. The intended application was swarming land mines. Drop a few hundred of these from an aircraft. They sense nearby targets, and when they find a good one, such as a convoy, they call to others nearby to come join the fun.

97 points by zdw 3y ago

Would this be a tiny internal combustion engine?

lwhi 3y ago

Love the music contrasted with a pretty whimsically comical robot. Reminds me of a toy frog that was around in the 1980s/90s where a pressed rubber indent created a timed 'pop' which propelled the toy frog up and over.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

7373737373 3y ago

Can it jump higher than this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daaDuC1kbds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daaDuC1kbds ? If so I'd love to see them both hopping around the moon

the_third_wave 3y ago

> Robert Shepherd at Cornell University in New York and his colleagues have turned instead methane, a chemical fuel that can store energy at a much higher density than lithium-ion batteries I think they're on to something there. Imagine a larger-scale vehicle driven using this internal combustion mechanism, large enough even to carry people. It would have a much bigger range than common electric vehicles. I'm pretty sure it will even be possible to use liquefied methane or one of its larger-chained family members which would negate the use of pressure vessels to carry methane and make for a quick and easy recharge, especially compared with the batteries we're used to. I'm off to the patent office, this invention will change the world.

lukevp 3y ago
I know this is tongue in cheek, but normal internal combustion engines convert the explosion into rotary motion of an air pump, whereas this uses the explosion in a more direct way via the expansion of the membrane. I thought that was really cool
- the_third_wave 3y ago
  That's a brilliant idea, to convert the up-and-down motion into a rotary one. It will give the vehicle a much smoother ride. Is it OK by you if I add this to the patent application if I include you as co-inventor?

candiodari 3y ago

Reminds me of Blackadder explaining the same concept for humans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK4Ixy2tjd8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK4Ixy2tjd8 Heh. One wonders if this research was inspired on that scene. Or perhaps on quake's rocket jumping.

tehwebguy 3y ago

One step closer to rocket jumping!

Loughla 3y ago

>“There are lots of places that this would be useful that wouldn’t be right next to a person,” he says. “I do actually think this would be a solution to search and rescue" Someone smarter than me tell me how this would be at all useful for search and rescue. I can't see it. If this thing, at a large scale, could be used, then so could a helicopter?

Retric 3y ago
I think the idea is to make a small robot to go through gaps in a collapsed structure. This could help figure out which pieces can be moved safely without causing further collapse. Alternatively, if you can get water to trapped people you can greatly extend how long you have to rescue someone.
foreigner 3y ago
"Search and rescue" is the standard excuse anytime someone invents a nifty new robot. I would love to know how many robots are actually really used in search and rescue.
- bondarchuk 3y ago
  To be more precise, "search and rescue" is a euphemism for "warfare".
  - cooldrcool2 3y ago
    ‘Search and destroy.’
  - bglazer 3y ago
    “We’ll use it to find people in building rubble” really begs the question of why the building is rubble in the first place

the__alchemist 3y ago

> Its makers say it could be produced cheaply in bulk and is ideal for search-and-rescue missions or even exploring other planets. https://xkcd.com/2128/ https://xkcd.com/2128/

orbifold 3y ago
search and rescue is also code for the military might find it useful. whenever a drone is supposed to deliver aid packages to firefighters for example.

Qem 3y ago

Reminds me of the Put-Put, Orion project's chemical explosive propelled proof-of-concept prototype: http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation%20history/space/orion.htm http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation%20history/...

idiotsecant 3y ago

It's interesting that this mechanism doesn't show up in biology, I can imagine a bug with superpowered bug jump that uses methane the bug produces in its gut with helper bacteria. I suppose at very small scales flight is probably way cheaper, biologically.

CharlesW 3y ago
> It's interesting that this mechanism doesn't show up in biology… It's not a chemical explosion, but pistol shrimp create tiny, 4,000°C supersonic booms to kill prey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMhjqbESIeY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMhjqbESIeY
pvaldes 3y ago
some beetles do a similar trick

mhb 3y ago

More detail / better article: https://newatlas.com/robotics/micro-combustion-robot/ https://newatlas.com/robotics/micro-combustion-robot/ Also, it's tethered to fuel and control.

nuancebydefault 3y ago

Reminds me of cars using ICE for movement.

Animats 3y ago

Sandia built something like this about 20 years ago. It was a ball with a combustion-powered pogo stick piston. A weight inside allowed the ball to orient itself, and then the piston would be fueled and fired to launch it towards the next destination. The intended application was swarming land mines. Drop a few hundred of these from an aircraft. They sense nearby targets, and when they find a good one, such as a convoy, they call to others nearby to come join the fun.