Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois have skoonstructed the world’s smallest laser-guided robotic crab just 0.5mm long. These babies can bend, walk, crawl, spin and jump without the aid of electricity or hydraulics. All because they are made up of shape memory materials. Heating causes it to spread out and make it flat, while the thin glass coating returns the bot’s body to its original state when cooled.
The heating is done by means of a laser. In which direction the laser is swiped, the movement takes place – the beam moves to the left and the crabs jump to the left. The speed of movement is about half the length of the crab per second. Scientists also decided to play with geometry and created three-legged bugs that can stay on the water and rotate around their axis, and spiral octopuses that make small jumps.
