A team of researchers from EPFL School of Engineering and The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have created a tiny, ultra-light swimming robot that could help track pollution, study aquatic ecosystems, and monitor water quality in delicate areas like coral reefs and lakes. These robots move and swim like tiny migraine flatworms with its soft, undulating fins.
Smaller than a credit card and weighing only 6 grams, the robot can easily navigate through tight spaces, making it perfect for inspecting machines in water, exploring rice fields, or even studying tiny aquatic organisms. It can reach the speed of 12 cm per second and even swim in different directions including backwards and sideways.
One of the key challenges was to make it as small as possible without compromising the robots efficiency and power, it was done by developing new soft actuators and compact electronics that could power the robot efficiently. It uses high voltage actuators that use Volts up to 500, it uses less power than an electric toothbrush.
It also has built-in light sensors, allowing it to detect and follow light sources on its own. The researchers believe this innovative design could lead to new ways of studying water pollution, tracking environmental changes, and improving agricultural practices. With its ability to blend into natural environments and move smoothly through water, this tiny robot could be a game-changer in aquafarming and eco-friendly robotics.
