자기 치유 마이크로봇: 의료에서 군사 활용까지

A team of Penn State engineers unlocked a simplistic method to create and control swarms of self-healing microbots. The science draws inspiration from nature and combines it with simple microbot designs capable of generating and registering acoustic signals. This approach is similar to how bees and other insects utilize sound waves to organize into large groups. Here’s what you need to know.

마이크로봇이란 무엇이며 어떻게 작동하는가

When the average person thinks of robots, they likely envision industrial and military applications. However, a growing number of these devices have found use in the 의료 and disaster relief sectors. These devices are often much smaller and known as microrobots due to their tiny stature, which is often on the nanoscale. Notably, many scientists envision a future where these tiny robots work together in swarms to accomplish important tasks.

군집 마이크로봇 기술 개발의 도전 과제

There are several issues that continue to slow the advancement of microbots. One of the main limiting factors was size. However, nowadays, there are several ways for engineers and developers to create these tiny and often complex machines.

Another issue is figuring out how to control these microscopic devices. In the past, the primary way was to use some form of chemical communication method. This is the approach that lots of insects and animals utilize in nature to find and organize, like ants. However, there are limitations to this approach.

For example, chemical signaling is not reversible. Once the chemical has been released, it’s impossible to retrieve it all from the environment. As such, it can only be used when collecting or targeting the units. Additionally, chemical signals are limited by distance and travel much more slowly compared to other forms of communication.

활성 물질 시스템

The science of understanding swarm mentality and strategies is a field of science called active matter.  Active matter specialists spend years studying microscopic biological and synthetic swarms. Their goal is to grasp how these massive groups can coordinate for tasks like threat notification and foraging for resources.

자연 군집에서의 음향 통신

Active matter engineers noted that acoustic signaling has long been used by bats and other species to communicate vital information. Whales are another animal that utilizes sound waves to communicate over vast distances. Impressively, animals like the humpback whale have been recorded communicating using acoustics over distances as far as 1,000 miles.

펜실베니아 주립대의 음향 제어 자기 치유 마이크로봇 연구

The paper¹ “음향 신호가 활성 물질 시스템에서 집단 인식 및 제어를 가능하게 함“, published in the scientific journal APS, is the first scientific study to integrate acoustics to control micronic swarms. As such, it represents a major milestone in microrobotics.

출처 – APS