These 3D-Printed "Microflier" Drones Are Powered, And Controlled, By Sound Alone
Researchers from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)'s MicroBioRobotic Systems lab have built ultra-tiny drones capable of controlled flight under the power of nothing but sound.
"Instead of pushing devices around with sound waves," MicroBioRobotic Systems lab head Selman Sakar explains of the team's work, "we have created acoustic resonators that are tuned to harness sound at specific frequencies to generate directional thrust and controlled motion. Our work shows the feasibility of transforming a simple, cleverly designed mechanical piece into robotic matter."
That small objects can be levitated by sound is nothing new — makers the world over have performance feats of floating magic using ultrasonic levitators — but what the team has produced is: the drones aren't just riding a shockwave but responding to specific frequencies in the sound. As a result, they not only fly but can be controlled by varying the frequencies.
The trick: high-precision micro-scale...
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