Page 26 - Spring 2025 Electron

Industry News
the robot could interact with its surroundings by
means of onboard sensors rather than having to be
manually directed. By distributing the electronics
strategically throughout the robot structure, impact
on the robot’s flexibility was minimised.
Hard magnetic particles were embedded within the
soft structure of the robot which respond predictably
to external magnetic fields such that by altering
the strength and direction of the field it became
possible to control crawling, twisting and rolling
motion without the need for internal motors, wires or
batteries.
Integration of sensors and circuits into the magnetic
system created a potential problem with electrical
interference, for example from electronics or wireless
signals from outside sources, hence the need to
design the electronic layout so that the sensors could
function even in the presence of strong magnetic
fields.
At the heart of the robot is a soft magnetic composite
of neodymium-iron-boron which is coated in
soybean wax. This is embedded within a silicone
elastomer. The wax enables reprogrammable
magnetic alignment at relatively low temperatures,
around 45 degrees Centigrade, allowing the robot’s
movements to be updated without damaging its
structure.
A wireless power system built around a copper radio
frequency coil that is resonant at 6.78MHz provides
energy to a compact set of electronics incorporating
a Bluetooth low-energy system-on-chip, a
microcontroller, µ-LEDs, sensors and actuators.
These are housed within flexible polyimide-copper
layers and encapsulated in soft Ecoflex silicone for
mechanical protection.
The electronics have a decentralised layout that
uses serpentine copper interconnects that allow the
circuits to flex in line with the robot’s movements.
Testing showed that the key components remained
functional even when exposed to magnetic fields of
up to 200mT and after over 1,000 deformation cycles. Kawasaki envisages CORLEO as a potential
Reference: Miles, S., ‘Smart, self-steering Disaster Recovery Bot can
navigate Debris and deliver Drugs’, Electronic Specifier, 11th. April Reference: Fowle, H., ‘Kawasaki CORLEO: The Wolf-inspired four- institutionofelectronics.ac.uk
26
TREE GUM IMPROVES
PERFORMANCE OF
SUPERCAPACITORS
Electronics-free Robot powered by
compressed Gas
Researchers at the Bioinspired Robotics Laboratory
at the University of California San Diego have
3D-printed an electronics-free robot made from
a single material using a cartridge of compressed Scientists from universities in Scotland, South
gas. Its cost was just $20. Korea and India have combined a tree gum known
as kondagogu, a polysaccharide produced by the
Under testing it was shown that so long as the robots
bark of the Cochlospermum Gossypium tree, with
were connected to a source of air or gas under
sodium to manufacture a sponge-like biopolymer
constant pressure they could function non-stop for
known as KS which, when added to the acidic
three days. They could walk outdoors, untethered,
electrolyte of a supercapacitor, creates a protective
using a gas cartridge as a power source, and
layer over its carbon electrodes. This was found to
navigate different surfaces such as turf, sand and
prevent degradation of the electrodes while still
underwater.
permitting the ion transport process to continue.
practical uses, and are actually a bit of a headache
Artificial muscles and a control system were made
Tests showed that the improved electrolyte enabled for the Indian government to dispose of. With this
from the same flexible 3D-printing filament resulting
the supercapacitor to maintain 93 per cent of its full research, we’ve found a way of making something
in the fabrication of a six-legged robot. A pneumatic
energy capacity after 30,000 charge and discharge genuinely impactful from this gum, creating a
oscillating circuit controls the repeated motion of soft
cycles compared with a drop to 58 per cent for a biodegradable, recyclable biopolymer which enables
actuators and coordinates the movement of the six standard supercapacitor.
legs by delivering gas pressure at the appropriate remarkable performance and could extend the useful
time, alternating between two sets of three legs. Supercapacitors are currently used in a range of life of supercapacitors dramatically.
electronic devices, but their long-term performance In the lab, we’ve shown excellent performance over
It is hoped that the electronics-free design will allow
can be affected through the use of acidic electrolytes, 30,000 cycles. If we were to run one cycle per day, the
these robots to be used in areas where traditional
which can cause unwanted side reactions with their supercapacitor could theoretically last more than 80
electronics are unable to function, such as scientific metallic electrodes and result in degradation that
reconnaissance in areas with strong radiation, reduces the ability of the supercapacitor to hold its years without losing significant performance, which
could mean that supercapacitors could be used in
disaster recovery and some space settings.
full charge over time. devices for much longer without being replaced. “
Reference: Gittins, C., Electronic Specifier, 4th. April
Dr. Jun Young Cheong of the James Watt School of Reference: Fowle,H., ‘Could Trees provide the Next Step in
Engineering at the University of Glasgow,comments: Supercapacitors ?’, Electronic Specifier, 11th. April
Introducing CORLEO the Wolf-inspired Robot
“ The gums we’ve used in this study don’t have many
Kawasaki Heavy Industries have released a
prototype hydrogen-powered, four-legged robot
named CORLEO that can carry human riders.
It can navigate rough and uneven terrain and
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operates using a hydrogen fuel cell in combination
with a 150cc engine. The four legs function
independently with AI used to support real-time
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balance adjustments and navigation.
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Riders mount CORLEO in a manner that is similar to
that of mounting a horse with the robot subsequently
responding to the rider’s shifts in body weight. A
Updated daily with hand-picked articles
‘hands-up’ display provides details on hydrogen levels,
from around the web...
terrain navigation and body weight distribution.
replacement for off-road motorcycles.
legged Robot’, Electronic Specifier, 7th. April
27
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