Development of World Smallest Insect-Type Robot with Implementation of Silicon Device

Abstract

Robotics will play an increasingly important role in our society in the future. This field is already extremely important, especially in industry. Robots are often found performing complex assemblies, conducting large-scale experiments helping in various industrial processes. These are all tasks that require high precision and are typically repetitive; tasks that most humans do not excel at. Similarly, artificial intelligence (AI) is already integrated into many processes. These tend to involve the performance of long and complex calculations in a short amount of time; again, something humans – and nature – do not love. Increasingly, however robotics and AI will be turned to fulfil roles that have been typically filled by people or nature. In order to do this, both the robotics and the intelligence will need to be inspired by how nature does things. This is a design method known as biomimicry. One area of important robotics and AI research is microrobotics. This is a field that is aiming to create extremely small robots that are able to navigate and perform their function automatously. Associate Professor Ken Saito of Nihon University, Japan, is an expert in microrobotics. He is developing solutions in two essential areas. Firstly, how such a small robot moves itself. It is not obvious how to fit a fully functioning motor and actuator device inside a robot that is merely millimetres in dimension. Additionally, it is difficult to manufacture accurately on such small scales. Secondly, he is tackling the problem of how, once capable of movement, such a microrobot might navigate itself independently of any controller.