Tiny robot harvests battery power via skin on its feet
AI summary
A paper‑thin polymer membrane attached to microrobot feet harvests electricity from metal or silicon surfaces, eliminating bulky onboard batteries. The 135 µm gel generates power on each step, enabling a 6.7 × 5.7 cm crawler to run for over 150 days and a million steps, though it cannot draw energy from inert materials and requires electrolyte replenishment.
Key takeaways
- The membrane acts as an open‑air battery, converting metal or silicon contact into electrical current.
- In tests, a 6.7 × 5.7 cm robot walked over 10,000 steps without voltage loss, lasting 150 days.
- The system cannot harvest energy from inert surfaces like plastic, glass, soil, or organic tissue.
- Electrolyte degradation from CO₂ exposure requires manual potassium hydroxide replenishment, limiting long‑term autonomy.
Read the original at New Atlas
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