A Magnetic Platform is for Robots that Never Have to Worry about Gravity

Now we have a magnetic platform that puts cilia in their place — taking up the responsibility of making robots climb like anything, even if it means that they cannot actually use gravity.

Hooked up to a computer, the flexible metal platform emits a radio signal which self-organizes into a magnetic field that acts as a guide to each cilia. Once the cilia are targeted, they zip up into the platform.

When the magnetic signal is sent to the platform, the cilia are separated by magnetic field lines from the outer rail and magnetically attracted to one another. As the energy level goes up, the distance between each cil increases. As energy levels go down, the distance between the wire decreases. It’s similar to how magnetic yarns work.

With a magnetic platform outfitted to a robotic gyroscope, two different types of magnetic robots were developed with functioning arms.

First, the microfluidic pump design has a microbubble covered with magnetic points that makes it possible to move a cartridge in motion. Then, the second design uses gliders which are branched hair-like structures, like spider silk.

After plugging the platform in to a PC, we found that attaching magnets to the activity of the robotic moving bodies resulted in a bouncy human-like animation. Theoretically, future robotic work could be more successful if we can born robots that enjoy an emotional boost to their performance as they move.