All-terrain microbot moves by tumbling over complex topography
A new type of all-terrain microbot that moves by tumbling could help usher in tiny machines for various applications.
The “microscale magnetic tumbling robot,” or ?TUM (microTUM), is about 400 by 800 microns, or millionths of a meter, smaller than the head of a pin. A continuously rotating magnetic field propels the microbot in an end-over-end or sideways tumbling motion, which helps the microbot traverse uneven surfaces such as bumps and trenches, a difficult feat for other forms of motion.