A recent article posted on the MIT News website comprehensively explored a new tiny cell-sized battery design that could power autonomous robots.
This battery was developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to revolutionize the creation of miniature robots capable of performing complex tasks within the human body and in other challenging environments like gas pipelines.
Study: MIT engineers design tiny batteries for powering cell-sized robots. Image Credit: many wisteria/Shutterstock.com
Background
Developing autonomous miniature robots has been a long-standing goal in robotics, as these tiny machines can navigate environments inaccessible to larger robots. However, finding a reliable and efficient power source for these small devices has been a major challenge.
Traditional batteries are often too bulky and heavy, while alternative power sources like solar cells require constant light, limiting the robots' autonomy.
Zinc-air batteries, commonly used in hearing aids, offer a promising solution due to their high energy density and long lifespan. These batteries generate electrical current by oxidizing zinc with oxygen from the air. However, integrating them into miniature robots has been difficult due to the challenge of efficiently capturing and using oxygen for power.
About the Study
The authors developed a novel zinc-air battery specifically for miniature robotic applications. The battery measures just 0.1 millimeters in length and 0.002 millimeters in thickness, approximately equal to the size of human hair. It features a zinc electrode connected to a platinum electrode, both embedded within a strip of SU-8, a polymer commonly used in microelectronics.
This design enables the battery to capture oxygen from the air and use it to oxidize zinc, generating up to 1 volt of electrical current. This voltage is sufficient to power various components of miniature robotic systems, including sensors, actuators, and small electronic circuits.
Research Findings
The researchers validated their zinc-air battery design through a series of experiments conducted under various conditions, including different temperatures and humidity levels. They successfully demonstrated the battery's ability to power a robotic arm, showcasing its potential for actuating miniature robotic components.
This result highlights the battery's capability to provide sufficient power for mechanical movement, a key aspect of robotic functionality.
Additionally, the study showed that the battery could provide sufficient energy to operate two distinct types of sensors, one fabricated from atomically thin molybdenum disulfide and the other from carbon nanotubes.
These sensors exhibited changes in their electrical resistance when exposed to specific chemicals in the environment, highlighting the battery's potential for environmental monitoring applications. These results demonstrated the battery's ability to power sensitive sensors, enabling the development of miniature robots capable of detecting and responding to environmental changes.
In addition to powering actuators and sensors, the authors also demonstrated the battery's ability to operate a memristor, an electrical component that can store information by altering its resistance, as well as a clock circuit, which is essential for maintaining timekeeping in autonomous robotic systems.
These findings collectively demonstrated the versatility and capabilities of the novel zinc-air battery design, showcasing its potential to power a range of electronic components and functions crucial for autonomous robotic operation.
Applications
The presented power source has significant potential to enable the deployment of autonomous, cell-sized robots for a wide range of applications. One of the most promising areas is medicine, where these miniature robots could be deployed to deliver drugs or therapeutic agents directly to targeted locations within the human body.
The battery's compact size, high energy density, and ability to operate autonomously make it an ideal power source for medical applications. It could potentially revolutionize drug delivery and treatment strategies. For example, these robots could target specific tumors with chemotherapy drugs, minimizing side effects and improving treatment outcomes.
Beyond the medical realm, the battery's ability to power sensors opens up opportunities for environmental monitoring, such as the detection of gas pipeline leaks or the tracking of pollutants in various settings.
These miniature robots could be deployed to inspect pipelines for leaks, preventing accidents and ensuring safety. They could also monitor air and water quality, providing real-time data on environmental conditions.
Additionally, these miniature robots could be utilized in search and rescue operations, navigating challenging terrains, and providing vital information in disaster scenarios. For example, they could be deployed to search for survivors in collapsed buildings or to map hazardous areas after a natural disaster.
Conclusion
In summary, the novel zinc-air battery has the potential to advance the field of miniature robotics significantly. Providing a reliable and efficient power source for cell-sized robots could enable the creation of autonomous, highly capable devices that can operate in various environments, from the human body to industrial settings.
Future work should focus on optimizing the battery's design and performance, exploring new applications, and scaling up production to reduce costs for wider adoption.
Journal Reference
Trafton, A. MIT engineers design tiny batteries for powering cell-sized robots. Posted on: MIT News Website, 2024. https://news.mit.edu/2024/mit-engineers-design-tiny-batteries-powering-cell-sized-robots-0815
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