Microbots The Size Of Ants Are Able To Pull A Full Sized Car

Omar Sohail

Remember the scientific fact that ants can pick up objects that are around ten times their own body weight, well it looks like the same thing has been applied to microbots, which are the same size as ants, and possess the same form of strength as those tiny critters.

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Six Microbots, Weighing In At Just 3.5 Ounces, Are Able To Pull A 3,900 Vehicle – This Is The Kind Of Stuff That Should Be Labelled As Impressive

Researchers posted at the Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Laboratory at Stanford University have been able to take inspiration from tiny ants that work in synergy in order to heave massive objects. That is how these microbots came into being. In order to make this possible, they have focused on synchronizing the smooth application of very tiny forces.

The microrobots work in unison, and by moving their legs simultaneously, they are able to able distribute the amount of force it takes for the vehicle to be pulled and complete the objective effortlessly. David Christensen, a graduate student, who is also one of the authors of a research paper states the following:

“By considering the dynamics of the team, not just the individual, we are able to build a team of our ‘microTug’ robots that, like ants, are superstrong individually, but then also work together as a team.”

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The latest demonstration of strength is the equivalent of six humans being able to move an Eiffel Tower and three Statues of Liberty. Christensen also stated that by mimicking attributes from animals, the researchers were able to copying the design of geckos’ feet to create spiked, sticky pads that the bots use in order to achieve a firm grip.

What this means is that tiny microbots of the future could be used for construction purposes, and will be able to complete the job without any human lives at risk, and complete the operation in the shortest time possible. The feat achieved by these microbots have been shown in the video below so do watch it and tell us what you thought.

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