PECASE: Microrobot Legs for Fast Locomotion over Rough Terrain

萨拉Bergbreiter，马里兰州大学公园职业生涯：微型机器人腿的快速移动超过粗糙的地形摘要本研究的目的是创造微型机器人腿，将使微型机器人步行，甚至运行，在粗糙的地形。该方法是粘弹性microrobot腿模型在动态仿真环境中，并通过实验验证这些模型使用一种新的微加工工艺，包括粘弹性material.Intellectual优点：这项工作的结果将导致第一个亚厘米级的机器人，可以快速移动复杂的表面，除了丰富的数据，以提高我们对昆虫运动的理解。像蟑螂这样的昆虫使用嵌入腿中的控制机制来防止它们在高速行驶时翻倒。 这些相同的想法可以移植到微型机器人通过使用粘弹性材料的动态稳定性控制。具体的创新将包括微型机器人腿的参数化模型，具有定制顺应性和阻尼的人造昆虫腿，以及与致动器的集成，以在不同表面上测试微型机器人腿。更广泛的影响：微型机器人以昆虫般的速度在现实环境中移动，可以在自然灾害发生后搜索瓦砾中的小裂缝，在民用基础设施上提供低成本的传感器部署，并进行隐形监视。 此外，类似于这些腿的强大的粘弹性机制可以在微创手术和微型制造等应用中提供突破。这项建议的教育目标是大大增加参与微型机器人研究。 目前，想要研究微型机器人的研究人员需要使用数百万美元的洁净室设施。一个开源的微型机器人程序将使用一个微型机器人原型过程，不需要洁净室访问开发。

Sarah Bergbreiter, University of Maryland College ParkCAREER: Microrobot Legs for Fast Locomotion over Rough TerrainABSTRACTThe objective of this research is to create microrobot legs that will enable microrobots to walk, and even run, over rough terrain. The approach is to model viscoelastic microrobot legs in a dynamic simulation environment, and to experimentally validate these models using a new microfabrication process that includes viscoelastic materials.Intellectual Merit: The results of this work will lead to the first sub-centimeter robots that can move quickly over complex surfaces, in addition to a wealth of data to enhance our understanding of insect locomotion. Insects like cockroaches use control mechanisms embedded in their legs to prevent them from tipping over at high speeds. These same ideas can be ported to microrobots by using viscoelastic materials for dynamic stability control. Specific innovations will include parameterized models for microrobot legs, fabricated artificial insect legs with tailored compliance and damping, and integration with actuators to test the microrobot legs on different surfaces. Broader Impacts: Microrobots that move through real-world environments at insect-like speeds can search through small cracks in rubble after natural disasters, provide low-cost sensor deployment over civil infrastructure, and engage in stealthy surveillance. In addition, robust, viscoelastic mechanisms similar to these legs can provide breakthroughs in applications like minimally invasive surgery and micromanufacturing. The educational objective of this proposal is to dramatically increase participation in microrobotics research. Currently, researchers who want to work on microrobots need access to multi-million dollar cleanroom facilities. An open-source microrobotics program will be developed using a microrobot prototyping process that does not require cleanroom access.