MICROBOT MANOEUVRES
Researchers have built what they say is the smallest untethered controllable robot
When placed on a penny, it looks like a mole on the side of Lincoln’s chin, measuring a
hundredth of an
inch by one four-hundredth of an inch.
A traffic jam of 200 of them would stretch the length of a chocolate bar.
The robot contains no motors or circuitry .Rather, it is a carefully carved piece of
silicon that moves across a special surface that contains an embedded electrical grid. The main rectangular piece has one edge bent downward; from the side, it looks like an L that has toppled forward. You can think of it as a business card with a fold at the end, said Bruce R Donald, a professor of Computer science and leader of the research team.
When an electrical
voltage is applied , the silicon buckles, and the long leg of the L is pulled down against the surface .When an opposite voltage is applie4d, the silicon
rectangle pops back and pushes the robot forward. It crawls along like an inchworm
Dr Donald said.
At top speed, the robot zooms around at nearly a hundredth of an inch a second.
To turn the robot, a stronger voltage pulse lowers an arm extending off one side of the rectangle .Robots of different shapes could snap together to build larger structure, he said.
Robots are man-made devices from very very micromini tolarge machine in size programs to
perform certain pre-determine task either in a sequential manner or specific assigned task.Robots are already used to perform tasks in factory proceeses and alsoin Medicine to assist surgery.Example, where they are used are automatic
Body welding in a automobile plants or detection of some micro obstruction in human body like heart artries or intestine.Robots are machines who work better than human beings.
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