Worm-inspired robot swims silently to track pollution, marine life – Interesting Engineering

The robot is also equipped with light sensors, allowing it to autonomously detect and follow light sources.11 hours agoa day ago2 days ago2 days ago2 days ago3 days ago3 days ago3 days ago3 days ago4 days ago8 hours ago10 hours ago11 hours ago11 hours ago12 hours ago14 hours ago14 hours ago15 hours ago15 hours ago15 hours agoSrishti GuptaA miniature swimming robot inspired by marine flatworms.EPFL-LMTSResearchers at EPFL’s School of Engineering, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, have created a small swimming robot that moves through water with breathtaking speed and accuracy. Unlike standard underwater devices that make use of loud and cumbersome propellers, this robot uses silent, propulsive fins that emulate marine flatworms. The robot weighs only six grams and is smaller than a credit card, and it is designed for maneuvering through tight spaces, making it ideal for applications such as pollution monitoring, ecological research, and inspections of waterborne machinery.“In 2020, our team demonstrated autonomous insect-scale crawling robots, but making untethered ultra-thin robots for aquatic environments is a whole new challenge,” says EPFL Soft Transducers Lab head Herbert Shea. “We had to start from scratch, developing more powerful soft actuators, new undulating locomotion strategies, and compact high-voltage electronics”.Most robotic swimmers struggle in cluttered aquatic environments filled with plants, debris, and wildlife. Traditional propeller-based designs generate noise and disturbances that can interfere with delicate ecosystems, such as coral reefs or lake shores.Unlike its predecessors, this new device’s bio-inspiration allows it to use flexible fins to swim up to 12 centimeters (2.6 body-lengths) per second, well above the speed most animals and fish of similar size swim at. The robot achieves these speeds by flapping the fins up to ten times faster than real fish.“Our design doesn’t simply replicate nature; it goes beyond what natural organisms can achieve,” explains former EPFL researcher Florian Hartmann.Unlike any robot of its size, this one has the ability to move and swim sideways, backward, forward, and even turn, thanks to its artificial muscles and unique locomotion system.Achieving a lightweight and energy-efficient control system was one of the main challenges of the project. The researchers designed a compact electronic unit capable of delivering up to 500 volts to the actuators while consuming just 500 milliwatts—four times less than an electric toothbrush. Despite the high voltage, the robot’s low current and shielded circuitry make it completely safe for its surroundings.The robot is also equipped with light sensors, allowing it to autonomously detect and follow light sources, much like simple visual systems found in certain aquatic organisms.The researchers’ expectations for precision agriculture, pollution tracking, and ecological monitoring are some of the vast potential uses for this robot. This robot’s unobtrusive, silent movements make it easy to study sensitive places without inflicting any harm or disruption to the environment. In addition, being able to reach places that are usually inaccessible could make it easier to inspect machinery and underwater infrastructures.“We aim to extend operating times and enhance autonomy,” says Hartmann. “The fundamental insights gained from this project will not only advance the science of bioinspired robotics but also lay the foundation for practical, lifelike robotic systems that harmonize with nature.”The study has been published in the journal Science Robotics.Srishti Gupta Srishti studied English literature at the University of Delhi and has since then realized it’s not her cup of tea. She has been an editor in every space and content type imaginable, from children’s books to journal articles. She enjoys popular culture, reading contemporary fiction and nonfiction, crafts, and spending time with her cats. With a keen interest in science, Srishti is particularly drawn to beats covering medicine, sustainability, gene studies, and anything biology-related.Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.By clicking sign up, you confirm that you accept this site’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy19 hours ago20 hours ago21 hours agoa day agoPremiumIE PROFollow

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/tiny-swimming-robot-water-pollution