Deformable robots are expected to bring an endless stream of new applications.At present there are several materials that can be used to create a robot that wobbles and wriggles the body but with less deformable and controllable circuitry This is one of the motivations behind the study of liquid metal electronics, coupled with the recent announcement of the liquid metal switch, an exciting achievement that shows liquid metal electronics not only possible but practical.
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, some new applications for deformed robots include: endoscopic manipulators for minimally invasive surgery, booster devices to support movement of the human body, and Soft panels for entertainment systems, etc. "The research team is developing algorithms to control this type of machine movement.
On the other hand, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States worked with a team at North Carolina State University (NC State) to create a material that is fairly close to a fluid crystal , A mimetic polyalloy material that combines gallium and indium, remains liquid at room temperature.
The researchers found that if a voltage is applied in one direction, the material droplets can separate, and when the voltage is applied in the other direction, the separated droplets will be reconnected, in both cases the applied voltage will cause Electrochemical reaction.
The voltage currently required is between about 1V and 10V; the researchers think this is the first fluid switch to work with the voltage commonly used in the electronics industry.
The researchers described the electrochemical reaction in their research report: 'Droplet separation is subject to the instability of the ultimate point, and its instability comes from the gradient effect in bipolar electrochemical reactions.'
This process is analogous to what happens with transistors, explains Carmel Majidi, a mechanics engineer at Carnegie Mellon University's Soft Machines Lab. "We set up two similar FETs Pole and drain of the drop, the use of this shape can be programmed to turn the circuit on and off. Eventually also use this effect to create physically configurable circuits.
The researchers said liquid crystals fabricated with non-toxic alloy materials can be injected into rubber to create a soft and scalable circuit that opens up new opportunities for applications such as deformable robots, biocompatible diseases Monitor and achieve the combination of electronic and synthetic skin types.
Compile: Susan Hong