Microrobots for Multifunctional Materials
Abstract
Nature shows it’s possible to build complex, adaptive materials by coordinating the actions of microscopically tiny machines. We seek to duplicate the same strategy, but with fully synthetic, engineered materials and machines. By building on major advances in microfabrication, we will create an adaptive, multifunctional material based on swarms of microscopic robots. Each robot in the swarm will be sub-1mm and equipped with a power supply, silicon microelectronics for sensing and computation, and a pair of electrodes. When immersed in electrolyte, robots will be able to use the electrodes to create or remove metal from their surroundings. Whether a robot adds or removes metal will be determined by sensed data and information processed by the on-board electronics. The formed metal will function as a bonding material between passive, structural particles. Combined, the metal, particles and robots will act as a material whose properties are shaped by the actions of microscopically small machines.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 21, 2022
- Source ID
- FA95502110313XX0
Entities
People
- Marc Z Miskin
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Pennsylvania