This Engineering Newswire looks at flying – and walking – with vampire-bat inspired drones, showing off Russia’s new ATV riding cyborg, and taking stomach acid powered joyrides in mouse stomachs.
Russia’s ATV Riding Cyborg
Engineers at the Advanced Research Foundation in Russia designed the robot to operate in a human environment, with the ability to work in rugged environments, drive vehicles, and provide emergency medical treatment on the battlefield.
The robot was initially developed as part of a space industry program to engineer a cyborg for the International Space Station. The current version is equipped with sensors attached to the robots limbs to allow for remote operation
Vampire Bat-Inspired Drone Walks
The Deployable Air-Land Exploration Robot drone was inspired by vampire bats, which use the tips of its wings like legs to essentially walk while on the ground. Likewise, the new drone has wings that act as both wings and legs.
The bat-inspired drone, which is still in the prototype stage, is being designed for use in search and rescue operations. The drone’s duel modes of transport would allow it to fly long distances to survey larges spaces in a short time span, while also being able to walk into dangerous areas.
Drug-Dealing Innerspace Seascooters
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego are powering micromotors with stomach acid and taking little, bubble-powered joyrides in mouse stomachs. The tiny motors are one-fifth the width of a human hair and could be the future of drug delivery and tumor diagnosis, among other things.
The stomach acid reacts with the motor’s zinc body to generate a stream of hydrogen microbubbles that propel the motors forward. According to the study published in ACS Nano, the zinc motors are dissolved by the acid, and disappear within a few days leaving no reported toxic chemical traces.
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