Scientists Create Battery-Free Robots That Run on Body Heat Using Salmonella-Inspired Design
Summary
Scientists develop revolutionary soft robots inspired by Salmonella bacteria that power themselves using body heat and temperature differences as small as 2°C, operating battery-free for hours through molecular oscillations with potential applications in medical devices and environmental sensors.
Key Points
- Researchers develop soft robots inspired by Salmonella bacteria that harvest ambient heat as low as 2°C temperature differences to create self-sustained motion through dynamic molecular bonding
- The robots use a coordination-motorized oscillator (CoMO) with Eu3+-crosslinked PDMS polymer that expands when heated and contracts when cooled, completing over 4,000 oscillation cycles for five hours
- These battery-free robots can operate on body heat or sunlight and show potential for environmental monitoring sensors and biomedical applications where conventional power sources are unavailable