A novel wireless and mobile piezoelectric micro robot

Abstract

In this paper, a novel wireless and mobile piezoelectric micro robot has been presented. The dimensions of the robot are within several centimeters (such as 7.5cm × 6.5cm × 7.5cm) and the weight is approximate a hundred gram, including the drive and control circuits, the main structure, the piezoelectric beams and the batteries. In contrast to existing mobile micro robots, the actuating mechanism of the proposed robot is piezoelectric bimorph beams, and the driving principle is the piezo-based vibromotor technique with vibration wave (traveling-wave) as drive source to actuate the robot. Since the robot is wireless, the challenge subject of the research is how to minimize the drive and control circuits with high voltage supply (up to 50V) based on battery voltage alone. The robot has speed up to 14 mm/s in 50V and with a frequency of 75Hz on a polished steel surface without extra loading. The robot can bear approximate 96g extra loading.