MIT engineers design tiny batteries for powering cell-sized robots
MIT engineers developed a tiny zinc-air battery, 0.1 mm long and 0.002 mm thick, generating 1 volt, enhancing autonomy for cell-sized robots in drug delivery and gas detection applications.
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MIT engineers have developed a new type of tiny battery, measuring 0.1 millimeters in length and 0.002 millimeters in thickness, designed to power cell-sized robots. These zinc-air batteries can generate a current of up to 1 volt by oxidizing zinc with oxygen from the air, making them suitable for small circuits, sensors, and actuators. This innovation aims to enhance the autonomy of miniature robots, which could be used for applications such as drug delivery within the human body and detecting gas leaks. The research team, led by Michael Strano, has been focusing on creating robots that can operate independently without external power sources, unlike previous systems that relied on external light. The new battery's design incorporates a zinc electrode and a platinum electrode within a polymer strip, allowing it to provide sufficient energy for various robotic functions, including powering actuators and sensors. Future developments will aim to integrate the battery directly into robotic devices and increase its voltage for broader applications. The research was supported by several U.S. government agencies and aims to create biocompatible robots that can dissolve after use in medical applications.
- MIT engineers have created a tiny zinc-air battery for powering cell-sized robots.
- The battery measures 0.1 mm long and 0.002 mm thick, generating up to 1 volt.
- It enables greater autonomy for robots, allowing applications like drug delivery and leak detection.
- Future work will focus on integrating the battery into devices and increasing its voltage.
- The research is funded by the U.S. Army, Department of Energy, and National Science Foundation.
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6 commentsNeat application though. Obviously, don't expect to buy one next week. But what's interesting here is that you'd think that electrochemical cells, which are going to scale by volume (cube law) as they get smaller, would not be as effective in these micro-scale applications as the energy harvesting/wireless energy schemes people seem to like work on, which mostly scale by aperture/area (square law). They treat that in passing, basically, the problem with solar is sometime's it's dark, but it's not very edifying.
I've reading somewhere about the stats and the pockets are bigger than ever. It's simple we don't have the batteries, "the size selector" that enable us to get the most ideal pockets that I have in my dreams.
We need batteries that enable the smallest pockets of all time. Much "work" is being done on "smarting the phone". No body considered that it coulds be the side of a coin. This is something they could be working on.
Imagine terminals everywere, you insert your "smartphone", and it's a whole PC! You can even insert into a payphone to make regular phone. There's still payphones everywhere. It's just an idea.
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