Study on insect-inspired robots with micro functional surfaaces

研究了两种具有微米和纳米功能表面的昆虫仿生微型树木机器人。一种是基于蚂蚁附着机制的爬壁机器人。采用MEMS工艺制作了玻璃和PDMS粘接垫，并对其粘接性能进行了研究。在此基础上，开发了一种具有玻璃和PDMS垫的六足机器人。机器人成功地在垂直和倒置的玻璃表面上行走。另一种机器人是水行者机器人，它能够利用表面张力在水面上停留和移动。利用MEMS技术开发了具有疏水微结构的各种支撑腿。对这些腿在水面上的升力、拉力和推力进行了实验研究。在此基础上，研制了两种具有疏水腿的自主式水行者机器人。提出了利用共振振动的驱动和折叠平板组装的“折纸结构”。机器人成功向前移动，还在水面上做了左/右转弯。

Two kinds of insect-inspired miniatrue robots with micro- and nano-functional surfaces have been studied. One is a wall-climbing robot based on adhesive mechanism of ants. Adhesive pads made of glass and PDMS were fabricated using MEMS processes and adhesive properties were investigated. Then, a hexapod robot with glass and PDMS pads was developed. The robot successfully walked on vertical and inverted glass surfaces. The other robot is water strider robot that is able to stay and move on the surface of water using surface tension force. Various kinds of supporting legs with hydrophobic microstructures were developed utilizing MEMS techniques. Lift, pull-off and thrust forces of these legs on the surface of water were investigated experimentally. Then, two kinds of autonomous water strider robots with hydrophobic legs were developed. Actuation utilizing resonant vibration and "origami structure" that is assembled by folding a flat plate were proposed. The robots successfully moved forward and also made left/right turns on the surface of water.