Rod Grumpen once described robotics in a few simple words: “At bottom, robotics is about us. It is the discipline of emulating our lives, of wondering how we work.” Recently, robotics has become a much-studied field of science, with advancements in this field happening at a stunning rate. There are many questions the common public has about robotics, and specifically, miniature robotics: what exactly are miniature robots and how insects have influenced miniature robots and what characteristics miniature robots share with insects. Miniature robots, influenced by insects, are changing the world for the better at a rapid rate.
If one has watched Disney’s movie Big Hero 6, the mini-robots in the movie are very similar to those miniature robots in real life. There are many types of miniature robots that exist. For example, recently, Harvard University researchers have derived many small, three-legged miniature robots that can be programmed together and can work together as a team (“Harvard’s tiny robots ‘swarm’ into shape”). Not only that, but in 2015, MIT researchers unveiled a miniature robot that can make itself into origami figures, then fold up and dissolve into nothing (“Origami Robots Folds Itself Up, Does Cool Stuff, Dissolves into Nothing”). Lastly, Johns Hopkins researchers have devised miniature robots shaped like stars that can perform biopsies in the human body (“Miniature Robots Perform Surgery”). As can be seen, miniature robots can perform a wide variety of functions, and are very similar to regular robots in their usage.
Insects have had a profound influence on miniature robotics, because there are any characteristics that these robots share with certain insects. For example, Harvard University’s flying robots (see Figure 1), RoboBees, were inspired by “the biology of a fly” (“Robotic insects make first controlled flight”). Not only that, but teams of scientists looking to create a robot scaling walls looked at how cockroaches do so to copy the method and technique, and this research helped bring about Harvard’s army of tiny robots (“Autonomous flying robots influenced by nature”). Not only that, but these robots can perch on walls to conserve energy, just as a real insect can (“Robo-bee: miniature robot perches like an insect”). Therefore, miniature robots can imitate insects in ways that have never previously been imagined to help humanity.
In conclusion, miniature robotics is a field of STEM that is advancing at a rapid rate. Many new discoveries in this field are helping people live their lives ideally and helping those in the medical field. Miniature robots work just like regular robots, and are influenced by and share many characteristics with insects. Influenced by insects in ways that are surprising, miniature robots are changing the face of technological and scientific fields in a rapid manner.
Sources:
Ackerman, Evan. "Origami Robot Folds Itself Up, Does Cool Stuff, Dissolves Into Nothing." IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2015. Web. 25 May 2016.
Gorman, Celia. "Miniature Robots Perform Surgery." IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. IEEE Spectrum, 03 June 2015. Web. 25 May 2016.
Johnson, Carolyn Y. "Harvard’s Tiny Robots ‘swarm’ into Shape." Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC, 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 25 May 2016.
Mileham, Rebecca. "Autonomous Flying Robots Influenced by Nature."Engineering and Technology Magazine. The Institution of Engineering and Technology, 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 May 2016.
Perry, Caroline. "Robotic Insects Make First Controlled Flight." Harvard Gazette. Harvard University, 2 May 2013. Web. 25 May 2016.
Tauger, Nathan. "Robo-bee: Miniature Robot Perches like an Insect." BBC News. BBC News, 20 May 2016. Web. 25 May 2016.
