This cockroach-inspired robot cannot be squashed

10 Jul 2021

This cockroach-inspired robot cannot be squashed

This cockroach-inspired robot cannot be squashedA cockroach-inspired robot

How many times have you tried to squash a cockroach but to no effect? Cockroaches are known for their hardiness and ability to survive almost anything.

Well, now, scientists have created a tiny robot based on the humble cockroach. This robot is about the size of a postage stamp and weighs much less than a gram.

It is very fast (for its size) and can bear the weight of something up to a million times its own weight. A human of about 60kg can stand on it but it doesn't get squashed. Moreover, the robot can climb up a gentle slope and carry loads up to six times its own weight.

Most robots of this size are easily breakable, but not this cockroach robot. This is also partly due to its simple design. It's made from a thin sheet of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). This is a material that expands and contracts with electricity.

In the future, such tiny robots can be used to investigate disaster sites (for example, after an earthquake). Its size can help it get into places humans or even dogs can't.
See the cockroach-robot below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtjlbI_dIYI

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A cockroach-inspired robot How many times have you tried to squash a cockroach but to no effect? Cockroaches are known for their hardiness and ability […]

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