One of the major challenges in creating tiny robots has always been their size. The smaller they get, the more challenging it is to pack in all the necessary components, especially the supply of energy. Some robots have managed to get around this by using smart alternates, like photodiodes, which tap into small amounts of electricity from light. But as robots get more advanced, they’ll need a more legitimate and unique power supply.
That’s where MIT comes in. This week, the researchers at the institute revealed a new battery that’s thin enough to power even the tiniest robots, allowing them to take on difficult tasks like drug delivery inside the human body or detecting leaks in gas pipelines. This tiny battery is only 0.1 millimeters long and 0.002 millimeters thick—about as thin as a single hair strand.
How Do These Tiny Batteries Work?
Despite their small size, these batteries can generate up to one volt of electricity. That’s enough to power key components of a robot, like sensors, circuits, and even moving components called actuators. This development opens the door for robots to do things they couldn’t before—like enter the inside of the body to deliver medicine exactly where it’s needed or move through tight spaces to examine the pipes for potential problems.
Michael Strano, MIT professor and the senior author of the paper, explained, “We think this is going to be very enabling for robotics.” He went on to say that the team is not just creating batteries but developing robots alongside these tiny power sources, combining all the necessary components into one cohesive system.
U.S. Lawmakers Call TP-Link Probe Over Chinese Cyber Attacks
Although the battery is now still attached to external devices, the researchers are sure that they will soon create a completely independent version that can be contained completely inside a robot. They’re also working on increasing the amount of voltage these tiny batteries can produce, which could allow even more complex robotic functions in the future.
What’s Next for Tiny Robots?
This breakthrough is an important step toward making miniature robots a practical reality for a wide range of applications. MIT’s new power source is not just another small battery—it’s the key to unlocking a whole new level of functionality in tiny robots. As Strano put it, “You can build a robot around an energy source, sort of like how you build an electric car around its battery.”
These advancements could change fields like medicine, where exact instructions and less involvement are necessary. Robots equipped with these batteries may one day perform internal surgeries or deliver treatments without the need for large, invasive procedures. A small robot that navigates tight, hard-to-reach spaces could also be useful in other industries, such as environmental monitoring or infrastructure inspection.
Why It Matters
The use of tiny robots powered by hair-thin batteries has the potential to revolutionize the way we solve big problems. Robots could make our lives safer and healthier by delivering medicine directly to specific areas of the body or detecting leaks in pipelines that are otherwise inaccessible. In the field of robotics, the future looks promising due to MIT’s commitment to innovation.
In short, MIT’s hair-thin battery isn’t just a cool piece of technology—it’s innovative. It’s setting the stage for a future where tiny robots can carry out tasks that were previously impossible, and it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing these systems in daily life.