Within robotics, small-scale soft-bodied robots have represented a remarkable advance, which was made possible thanks to the development of stimulus-sensitive polymers.
This has allowed experts in the area to make small robots and give them motor skills that allow them to walk, swim or jump.
However, none of these projects have entertained the idea of ​​making them fly, although this may change soon, as it has been revealed that researchers belonging to a group called Light Robots at the University of Tampere are working on finding a way to make smart materials can fly.
With the name of FAIRY-Flying Aero-robots based on Light Responsive Materials Assembly this project is in charge of Hao Zeng and Jianfeng Yang.
Thus, within this initiative, a polymer assembly robot was developed, which has the quality of flying with the help of the wind and being controlled by means of light. In this regard, Hao Zeng expressed the following:
“Superior to its natural counterparts, this artificial seed is equipped with a soft actuator. The actuator is made of light-sensitive liquid crystalline elastomer, which induces opening or closing actions of the bristles upon excitation by visible light.”
All this has been reason for this robot to be considered as a kind of artificial fairy, which has some biomimetic characteristics.
In this sense, FAIRY presents a structure of high porosity (0.95), as well as a minimum weight (1.2mg)which allows it to float without difficulty in the air and be displaced by the wind.
Added to this, it is notable the presence of a separate and stable vortex ring that fulfills the function of allowing the robot to move long distances. Regarding this Zeng adds the following:
“The fairy can be powered and controlled by a light source, such as a laser beam or an LED.”
This is how light works changing the shape of the tiny structure which resembles the seed of a dandelion.
In this way the fairy robot can be able to adjust itself to the direction and strength of the wind. In addition, it is also possible to use a beam of light to exercise control over the takeoff and landing of the polymeric assembly.
Even so, the researchers will have to focus their efforts on improving the sensitivity of the material, so that the device can work in sunlight.
Added to this, they will have to make more space in the structure to allow it to carry microelectronic devices such as GPS and sensorsas well as biochemical compounds.
