Sonic micro-robots burst into motion without batteries or motors
Nowadays, technology is increasingly focused on making electronics smaller, as many industries – from medicine to aerospace and security – stand to benefit. But reducing the size of devices brings a new challenge: what if they become simply too small to fit a conventional battery, motor, and other mechanical parts?
Recently, we’ve covered an innovative approach to charging drones, where a laser is directed at a battery from a distance. As remarkable as it is, this method doesn’t really address the problem of powering microdevices, as it still requires a built-in battery or energy storage components. This is the problem researchers at the MicroBioRobotic Systems (MICROBS) Lab in EPFL’s School of Engineering are trying to solve. The answer they found is pretty intriguing: sound.
Not just any sound, but specifically Helmholtz resonance. In simple words, it's the same phenomenon that happens when you blow air across the neck of...
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