Moisture induced electricity for self-powered microrobotsShow others and affiliations
2021 (English)In: Nano Energy, ISSN 2211-2855, E-ISSN 2211-3282, Vol. 90, article id 106499Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Sustainable operation of microrobots mandatorily needs a continuous supply of energy, which is usually provided by a battery. However, with the miniaturization of the microrobot, the reduction of weight, and the limited lifetime of battery, self-powering of microrobot is a key challenge. Inspired by the crawling of cockroaches, we present an untethered insect-scale robot driven by moisture induced electric power. A moisture-based energy harvesting device has been exploited and embedded in the microrobot, which can capture and store atmospheric water under various environmental conditions through a hygroscopic gel and generate electricity based on redox reaction. The device produces an output voltage of ~1.4 V and an output current of ~43 mA. A combination of moisture-electricity powered vertical vibration and the asymmetric structural design of the microrobot enables its forward locomotion at an average speed of ~4.01 cm/s. Our work could facilitate multifunctionality in future self-powered microrobots and mesoscale devices. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier Ltd , 2021. Vol. 90, article id 106499
Keywords [en]
Hygroscopic gel, Insect-scale robots, Self-powered microrobots, Water harvesting, Electric batteries, Energy harvesting, Energy storage, Redox reactions, Structural design, %moisture, Energy, Insect-scale robot, Micro robots, Miniaturisation, Self-powered, Self-powered microrobot, Sustainable operations, Water conservation
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-43455DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106499ISI: 000703207000001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85115608855OAI: oai:DiVA.org:miun-43455DiVA, id: diva2:1603717
2021-10-182021-10-182021-10-18Bibliographically approved