A wheeled robot driven by a liquid-metal droplet

Wu, Jian, Tang, Shi Yang, Fang, Tao, Li, Weihua, Li, Xiangpeng and Zhang, Shiwu (2018) A wheeled robot driven by a liquid-metal droplet. Advanced Materials, 30 (51), [1805039]. (doi:10.1002/adma.201805039).

Abstract

The controlled actuation of gallium liquid-metal (LM) alloys has presented new and exciting opportunities for constructing mobile robots with structural flexibility. However, the locomotion of current LM-based actuators often relies on inducing a gradient of interfacial tension on the LM surface within electrolytes, which limits their application outside a liquid environment. In this work, a wheeled robot using a LM droplet as the core of the driving system is developed that enables it to move outside liquid environment. The LM droplet inside the robot is actuated using a voltage to alter the robot’s center of gravity, which in turn generates a rolling torque and induces continuous locomotion at a steady speed. A series of experiments is carried out to examine the robot’s performance and then to develop a dynamic model using the Lagrange method to understand the locomotion. An untethered and self-powered wheeled robot that utilizes mini-lithium-batteries is also demonstrated. This study is envisaged to have the potential to expand current research on LM-based actuators to realize future complex robotic systems.

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Contributors

Author: Shi Yang Tang

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