The remote-controlled robot is only half a millimeter in size and could possibly be used during surgical procedures in the future.

Engineers have developed the smallest remote-controlled robot ever. They write that in the magazine Science Robotics† The micro-robot, which has taken on the form of a crab, is only half a millimeter in size and incredibly manoeuvrable: it can walk, bend, turn, crawl and even jump!

Movement

The tiny robot crab in question, which is smaller than a flea (!), is not powered by complex hardware or electricity like many other robots. Instead, the micro-robot moves through the elastic spring force of its body. “Our technology enables a variety of controlled movements,” said researcher Yonggang Huang. “He can walk at an average speed of half his height per second. It is quite a challenge to realize this on such a small scale.”

An enlarged view of the tiny robotic crab standing on the edge of a coin. Image: Northwestern University

To do that, the researchers turned to lasers. To make the robot walk, the researchers aim a laser beam at specific places on the ‘corpse’ of the robot crab. This warms up these ‘body parts’. A thin layer of glass ensures that the robot returns to its original shape when it cools down. And that’s how the micro-robot moves.

Laser

The laser also determines the walking direction of the robot. For example, by shooting him on the left, the robot moves from right to left from his point of view. “Because these robots are so small, they also cool down quickly,” explains researcher John Rogers. “So if we make even smaller robots, they can run even faster.”

This is not the first time that the researchers have developed micro-robots. They have successfully built microscopic robotic worms, crickets and beetles before. Moreover, not so long ago, they succeeded in making a real flying microchip, which instantly became the smallest flying device in the world. “Robotics is an exciting area of ​​research,” Rogers explains. “And the development of robots at the microscale is a fun topic for academic exploration.”

Surgical procedures

Although the development of the tiny robot crab is still only exploratory at the moment, the engineers believe that such micro-robots could come in handy in the long run. For example, their newly developed technology can bring the realization of micro-robots that perform practical tasks in tight spaces closer. “Micro-robots could potentially make repairs in machines,” Rogers suggests. “They could even assist with surgical procedures. Think of dilating clogged arteries, stopping internal bleeding or removing cancerous tumors.”

Although that is currently still in the future, the researchers certainly show the potential of micro-robots with their study. And by the way, they don’t just come in the form of insects or crustaceans, anything is possible. “With our techniques, we can build moving robots in almost all 3D shapes and sizes,” Rogers says. So it’s only a matter of time before the researchers come up with yet another robotic animal.