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Electrochemical actuators for electronically integrated microrobots Lucas C Hanson
- Format:
- Book
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Author/Creator:
- Hanson, Lucas C., author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Condensed matter physics.
- Electrical engineering.
- Robotics.
- Physics.
- Astronomy.
- 0611.
- 0544.
- 0771.
- 0606.
- 0605.
- Local Subjects:
- Condensed matter physics.
- Electrical engineering.
- Robotics.
- Physics.
- Astronomy.
- 0611.
- 0544.
- 0771.
- 0606.
- 0605.
- Genre:
- Academic theses
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (113 pages)
- Contained In:
- Dissertations Abstracts International 87-12B
- Place of Publication:
- Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2026
- Language Note:
- English
- Summary:
- Recent advances in the integration of CMOS electronics in robots smaller than a few hundred microns in size have yielded a new class of intelligent microscopic machines. Devices built using this platform combine the computational sophistication of silicon microelectronics with electrochemically actuated legs to enable previously unrealized behaviors such as programmable locomotion, response to environmental stimuli, and individual device addressability. However, no other electrochemical actuator systems have been integrated with microelectronics to expand the functionalities of these robots.In this work we demonstrate proof of concept microscopic robots with several new electrochemical capabilities. The robots harvest light with on board photovoltaics, and use the energy generated to drive DC electrochemical reactions at a pair of external electrodes depending on the composition of the surrounding solution. We begin by demonstrating a robot that can use electrokinetic fluid flows to propel itself around it's environment, and discuss the control advantages posed by this locomotion scheme for swarming and programmable micro robotic platforms. We then show a robot that can electroplate metal on it's body, enabling it to form bonds to other robots in a swarm. Using this mechanism, we show that swarms of hundreds of robots can self assembly into ultra-low density metallic foams, with exotic properties like high modulus to weight ratios and the ability to self heal after compressive fatigue. Finally we show that other metallic electrodeposition chemistries can be used to create further motifs for locomotion and assembly, including the use of iron-electrodeposition to create addressable magnetic microrobots, and the use of copper electrodeposition as a means of environmental remediation. Combined, these advances represent early steps into a so far relatively unexplored space of DC electrochemical actuators that microrobots can use to enhance existing functionalities, and expand to access a new world of intelligent active microscopic matter
- Notes:
- Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-12, Section: B.
- Advisors: Miskin, Marc Z. Committee members: Arratia, Paulo E.; Johnson, A. T. Charlie; Liu, Andrea J.; Mallouk, Thomas E.
- Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2026
- Vendor supplied data
- Local Notes:
- School code: 0175
- ISBN:
- 9798247973034
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license
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