Monolithic fabrication of an insect-scale self-lifting flapping-wing robot.

Yang Zou; Weiping Zhang; Sui Zhou; Xijun Ke; Feng Cui; Wu Liu

Robots on the order of insect-scale are difficult to manufacture using MEMS technologies for sub-millimetre structures or conventional methods for large devices beyond centimetres. This work presents an electromagnetically driven, monolithically fabricated, insect-scale self-lifting flapping-wing robot for the first time. This robot is created using a simple monolithic method, by which most of the components are integrated and fabricated from a single sheet. Finally, the monolithic insect-scale flapping-wing robot can generate sufficient lift to take off.

MONOLITHIC reactors; MICROELECTROMECHANICAL systems; FABRICATION (Manufacturing); ROBOT control systems; ELECTROMAGNETISM

Micro & Nano Letters (Wiley-Blackwell), 2018, Vol 13, Issue 2, p267

1750-0443

Academic Journal

10.1049/mnl.2017.0730