A fast-moving electrostatic crawling insect

Abstract

We report an insect-size crawling robot with fast moving speed driven by electrostatically induced self-vibration for the first time. Under an applied DC voltage, the robot with a total mass of 47mg has achieved a forward crawling speed up to 30mm/s (1.5 body lengths per second). Using an integrated on-board capacitor, it can move freely without electrical powering wires for up to 10 seconds with a speed of 2mm/s. The simple structural design including power supply and vibration-based driving methodology could open up new directions for micro-robot research.