A Centimeter-Scale Quadruped Piezoelectric Robot with High Integration and Strong Robustness

Centimeter-scale robots have unique advances such as small size, light weight, and flexible motions, which exhibit great application potential in many fields. Notably, high integration and robustness are 2 key factors determining the locomotion characteristics and practical applications. Here, we pr...

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Main Authors: Yu Gao, Jing Li, Jie Deng, Shijing Zhang, Yingxiang Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2025-01-01
Series:Cyborg and Bionic Systems
Online Access:https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/cbsystems.0340
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author Yu Gao
Jing Li
Jie Deng
Shijing Zhang
Yingxiang Liu
author_facet Yu Gao
Jing Li
Jie Deng
Shijing Zhang
Yingxiang Liu
author_sort Yu Gao
collection DOAJ
description Centimeter-scale robots have unique advances such as small size, light weight, and flexible motions, which exhibit great application potential in many fields. Notably, high integration and robustness are 2 key factors determining the locomotion characteristics and practical applications. Here, we propose a novel centimeter-scale quadruped piezo robot. The robot’s locomotion is generated by multi-dimensional vibration trajectories at the feet, which are produced through a novel built-in actuation method. The robot achieves high locomotion speed (47.38 body length per second), high carrying capability (28.96 times self-weight), and high-resolution motion (minimum step size of 0.33 μm). Benefiting from the built-in integration method, the robot realizes the built-in integration of actuation, control, communication, and power supply, enabling untethered movement and strong robustness. It has a low startup voltage (10 V0-p) and an endurance time of 32 min. Furthermore, after enduring 3 consecutive drops, 2 kicks, and being stepped on by an adult (over 3,500 times its own weight), the system remains functional and continues to move afterward. The robot utilizes modular expansion to achieve image sensing applications, including multi-object image capture and object detection. This work provides inspiration for the balance between high-integration design and robustness in centimeter-scale robots.
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publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
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series Cyborg and Bionic Systems
spelling doaj-art-fb42b724428b4570a2f334ddaae5a8c82025-08-20T03:08:18ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Cyborg and Bionic Systems2692-76322025-01-01610.34133/cbsystems.0340A Centimeter-Scale Quadruped Piezoelectric Robot with High Integration and Strong RobustnessYu Gao0Jing Li1Jie Deng2Shijing Zhang3Yingxiang Liu4State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.Centimeter-scale robots have unique advances such as small size, light weight, and flexible motions, which exhibit great application potential in many fields. Notably, high integration and robustness are 2 key factors determining the locomotion characteristics and practical applications. Here, we propose a novel centimeter-scale quadruped piezo robot. The robot’s locomotion is generated by multi-dimensional vibration trajectories at the feet, which are produced through a novel built-in actuation method. The robot achieves high locomotion speed (47.38 body length per second), high carrying capability (28.96 times self-weight), and high-resolution motion (minimum step size of 0.33 μm). Benefiting from the built-in integration method, the robot realizes the built-in integration of actuation, control, communication, and power supply, enabling untethered movement and strong robustness. It has a low startup voltage (10 V0-p) and an endurance time of 32 min. Furthermore, after enduring 3 consecutive drops, 2 kicks, and being stepped on by an adult (over 3,500 times its own weight), the system remains functional and continues to move afterward. The robot utilizes modular expansion to achieve image sensing applications, including multi-object image capture and object detection. This work provides inspiration for the balance between high-integration design and robustness in centimeter-scale robots.https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/cbsystems.0340
spellingShingle Yu Gao
Jing Li
Jie Deng
Shijing Zhang
Yingxiang Liu
A Centimeter-Scale Quadruped Piezoelectric Robot with High Integration and Strong Robustness
Cyborg and Bionic Systems
title A Centimeter-Scale Quadruped Piezoelectric Robot with High Integration and Strong Robustness
title_full A Centimeter-Scale Quadruped Piezoelectric Robot with High Integration and Strong Robustness
title_fullStr A Centimeter-Scale Quadruped Piezoelectric Robot with High Integration and Strong Robustness
title_full_unstemmed A Centimeter-Scale Quadruped Piezoelectric Robot with High Integration and Strong Robustness
title_short A Centimeter-Scale Quadruped Piezoelectric Robot with High Integration and Strong Robustness
title_sort centimeter scale quadruped piezoelectric robot with high integration and strong robustness
url https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/cbsystems.0340
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