Micro-factories for smart-manufacturing: These ant-sized micro-robots work together to manufacture complex structures

SRI Corporation's latest project involves working on an army of ant-sized thousands of micro-robots that co-ordinate among themselves to accomplish complex and delicate manufacturing processes.

These micro-robots are magnetically driven on a printed circuit board substrate and uses SRI's patented Diamagnetic Micro Manipulation (DM3) technology. The circuit board has a specific pattern of electric coils inside. When current is passed through the coils, the coils exerts a force on magnetic body of these robots which makes them on the surface of circuit board. The current through these coils is controlled through a central computer to choreograph the movement of 1000s of micro-robots synchronously. Wong-Foy, a researcher at SRI Corporation, has written a software for that.

According to SRI, these micro-robots can construct light-weight, high-strength structures such as a truss; building prototype circuit boards for electronic devices or handle tiny components. According to Wong-Foy, it can also be used for automating repetitive manual tasks of assembling delicate tiny components.

The demo in the video shows how three micro-robots work synchronously to build a truss of carbon rods: first bot works a toothpick-sized carbon rod dispenser by operating a lever. Another robot dips its arms in water and uses surface tension to pick the carbon rod. Third robot dips its arm in glue and applies it to the structure. Finally, the second robot sticks the carbon rod to the structure. The robots work on the same movable elevated platform which rises to the next layer if work is completed at previous layer. So essentially, the robots can work on big structures as well.

                         

Apart from the ability of working at a very small scale, these bots are extremely fast with a maximum speed of 35 cm/s. They can also climb up on straight walls or move on curved surfaces.

Currently, 1000 micro-robots have been assembled by hand. But eventually, Wong-Foy feels, these array of co-ordinated bots will be able to make replica of themselves.

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