SRI International has developed a robotic hive of insect-like machines capable of making almost any structure. These robots will serve industry, medicine and even small business in the future.
SRI International, based in Silicon Valley, has created an amazing robotic complex called MicroFactory. It is a station that looks like a real "hive" and is designed for insect-like machines - microbots. Their main task is to create almost any volumetric structure: perhaps the 3D printer of the future will not be a printer in the classical sense, but instead will become a horde of tiny robots working together on a single task.
Army of mechanical insects
MicroFactory is based on the magnetic field generated by the PCB. Special software controls the field by moving miniature bots in space, which are themselves magnets. As part of a team, each robot performs a special program using the so-called "effector", a tool designed to manipulate objects and substances in the surrounding space. What exactly the effector does and how the bot behaves in this case depends on the specific task assigned to the swarm at the moment.
The design of the robotic complex, as you might guess, was inspired by ant colonies, where each individual performs its own task, ultimately aimed at achieving a common goal.
SRI micro-robots and the platform on which they are based are also able to integrate with DARPA's Open Manufacturing program to create new products across a wide range of manufacturing verticals. Robots can assemble almost anything, regardless of the size and complexity of objects. More importantly, they are able to do this quickly - most of these prototypes suffer primarily from the lack of speed, which makes their use practically unprofitable. SRI microbots also differ from similar projects and more traditional automated systems in that they have practically no restrictions on mobility: if you install a magnetized assembly surface on a movable mechanism, the entire complex can be moved as convenient for the manufacturer. In practice, this makes bots literally a universal tool that can perform not only laboratory, but also practical tasks in real production conditions.
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Application of microbots
As an example, WIRED describes the process of how robots work together to create something as simple as a grid. “One group of bots holds the high-strength carbon rods vertically, another horizontally, and a third glues the structure together. Working together, robots can work without interruption: if there is a failure in any part of the structure, or the materials and glue run out, the teams will simply reorganize optimally and continue to complete the task."
But what is the advantage over existing and highly practical 3D printers? The main bonus is that robots can use any materials and components, as well as assemble more complex devices from simple electronic components. And if you combine 3D printing equipment with an army of microbots, the process will go even faster.
Medical robots will be able to perform pinpoint operations at the cellular level
Although today SRI microbots are the last word in robotics, an order of magnitude is expected to appear in the near future. We are talking about medical nanobots, which are prototyped by companies around the world. These tiny mechanisms are designed to operate in an environment where they will be influenced by Brownian forces - random influences caused by the movement of molecules in the surrounding fluid. Therefore, they need a delicate, but at the same time effective control mechanism, and the magnetic field is just right for this. In a recent study, scientists at Duke University used magnets to allow microbots to act as tweezers to capture single yeast cells. This clearly demonstrates the potential of such technologies,which in the future will be able to "disassemble" tumors and track pathogens in the patient's body in the same way.
But SRI robots, apparently, in the future may become available not only for large high-tech enterprises, but also for small businesses. They are convenient to use, small-sized and can be produced in large batches, which greatly diversifies the already considerable possibilities of household technologies.
Vasily Makarov