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A wheeled robot driven by a liquid-metal droplet

A wheeled robot driven by a liquid-metal droplet
A wheeled robot driven by a liquid-metal droplet

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.

EGaIn, Liquid metals, Locomotion, Untethered robots
0935-9648
Wu, Jian
9dd418ed-a1ef-4f78-89a3-8231c6502a2b
Tang, Shi Yang
1d0f15c6-2a3e-4bad-a3d8-fc267db93ed4
Fang, Tao
0f69fdd5-54ac-4238-872b-50d03b1ac71f
Li, Weihua
e2555036-0e48-425a-afeb-db6ffba5238e
Li, Xiangpeng
73f32905-ad7c-4ce3-93a4-78237b98f4fb
Zhang, Shiwu
da008f91-71fa-42fb-879e-68b91429e1d6
Wu, Jian
9dd418ed-a1ef-4f78-89a3-8231c6502a2b
Tang, Shi Yang
1d0f15c6-2a3e-4bad-a3d8-fc267db93ed4
Fang, Tao
0f69fdd5-54ac-4238-872b-50d03b1ac71f
Li, Weihua
e2555036-0e48-425a-afeb-db6ffba5238e
Li, Xiangpeng
73f32905-ad7c-4ce3-93a4-78237b98f4fb
Zhang, Shiwu
da008f91-71fa-42fb-879e-68b91429e1d6

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).

Record type: Article

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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More information

Published date: December 2018
Additional Information: Funding Information: This research was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51828503, 51375468, and 615032710). S.-Y.T. is the recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowship funded by the University of Wollongong. Publisher Copyright: © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Keywords: EGaIn, Liquid metals, Locomotion, Untethered robots

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 481692
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/481692
ISSN: 0935-9648
PURE UUID: 65250e67-bfcb-4474-a70d-b050d8a8c7b0
ORCID for Shi Yang Tang: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3079-8880

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 06 Sep 2023 16:48
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 02:18

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Contributors

Author: Jian Wu
Author: Shi Yang Tang ORCID iD
Author: Tao Fang
Author: Weihua Li
Author: Xiangpeng Li
Author: Shiwu Zhang

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