Scientists from China and the United States have developed a light-powered launch system for miniature robots, inspired by the squirting cucumber plant, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. This innovative technology has potential applications in various fields, including medicine, agriculture, aerospace, and even ballistics. The researchers detailed their findings in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal, Nature Materials.
The research team developed a soft hydrogel and graphene-based launcher capable of releasing energy in just 0.3 milliseconds. This rapid energy release allows the device to launch swiftly from both wet and dry surfaces, covering distances up to 643 times its body height.
Such a system could be instrumental in creating tiny medical robots for deep tissue sampling, smart-seeding robots for agriculture, and even soft bullets for potential ballistic applications. According to researchers from China and the United States, tasks requiring powerful propulsion, like jumping or ejecting, depend on strategies that amplify kinetic energy from pre-stored sources. These devices need to release energy quickly to generate sufficient driving force.
Chinese companies have been instrumental in deploying AI-driven bots and automation technologies in sectors ranging from finance to agriculture. In the financial sector, Chinese-developed bots are increasingly being used to streamline banking services, enhance cybersecurity, and improve customer service through AI-powered chatbots. These innovations are helping to bridge gaps in financial access and literacy, particularly in remote areas.
Lead author Wang Xin, a doctoral student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) pointed out that existing methods, which rely on chemical or elastic energy mechanisms like latch-spring or buckling instability, face challenges such as limited energy storage, prolonged energy release periods, and complex fabrication. In their study, the team introduced a new method inspired by the pressurized fluidic squirting mechanism of the Ecballium elaterium, or squirting cucumber.
This plant builds up pressure and elastic energy within its fruit as it grows, ultimately bursting open to disperse its seeds when ripe. Similarly, when exposed to high-energy light, the graphene in the team’s hydrogel launcher heats up, causing the water in the gel to vaporize. The resulting vapor pressure causes the hydrogel to expand until it fractures, propelling the launcher into the air.
The rise of bots and automation technologies has sparked a debate about whether they are making life easier or presenting new challenges. On one hand, bots are revolutionizing industries by streamlining processes, improving efficiency, and offering convenience in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
In healthcare, bots assist in diagnosing conditions, managing patient records, and even providing mental health support through virtual counseling sessions. These innovations save time, reduce human error, and often lower costs, making essential services more available to a broader population.
Wang emphasized that the power amplification strategy could be applied to medical robots, particularly in scenarios requiring significant force output, such as deep tissue sampling, stent delivery, and tissue resection.
In their study, the researchers showcased the use of the launcher in a smart seed robot by attaching a seed and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag to the hydrogel matrix. When the launcher propels the seed into a smart seed bed, sensors read the RFID tag to identify the seed type and relay care instructions.
Wang also mentioned that while the launcher could have applications in ballistic weapons, the team has yet to conduct extensive research in this area. The launcher is activated by a near-infrared laser, though the researchers also tested the use of focused sunlight, hinting at the possibility of utilizing natural light as a power source.
Using sunlight would broaden the launcher’s applications, potentially including its use in lunar or space exploration robots. The team further assessed the launcher’s predictability, finding that it could be employed in developing soft robots capable of following prescribed trajectories and reaching specific locations.
Bionics, the science of creating artificial systems inspired by living organisms, is experiencing a surge in breakthroughs. Nature, with its billions of years of evolutionary refinement, provides a wealth of inspiration for scientists as they develop innovative solutions to address real-world challenges.
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