Backswimmer‐Inspired Miniature 3D‐Printed Robot with Buoyancy Autoregulation through Controlled Nucleation and Release of Microbubbles

Abstract

Robotic Swimmers The BackBot is an untethered miniature robot, inspired by diving insects commonly known as backswimmers. The Backbot regulates its buoyancy autonomously by tuning the volume of an external gas reservoir through controlled nucleation and release of microbubbles. It requires little energy to operate in comparison to traditional underwater vehicles and reaches neutral floatation within seconds. More information can be found in article number http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/aisy.202200010 by Dror Kobo and Bat‐El Pinchasik.

Recent Advances on Underwater Soft Robots

“…It controls partial buoyancy wirelessly by using a soft thermoelectric (TE) pneumatic actuator (TPA), which, in turn, mimics the intermittent locomotive gliding and turning in the water. Dror Kobo et al [240] developed a small, centimeter-sized, backswimmer-inspired untethered robot (BackBot) which regulates self-buoyancy by controlling nucleation and release of microbubbles. This mechanism could facilitate the replacement Quadrupeds-inspired robot 0.37 [397] Soft jumper 6 [226] Crawling and walking Fluidic soft robotic snake 0.07 [18] PATRICK 0.04 [227] Worm-inspired robot 0.025 [82] Crab-inspired soft robot 0.234 [228] Flow-sensing walking robot 0.1 [316] Amphibious soft robot 1.6 [9] 3D printed robot 0.06 [398] Coconut octopusinspired robot 0.603 [326] Swimming Hydrodynamically driven Madeleine 0.95 [224] Spine-inspired robotic fish 0.78 [225] Piezoelectric fish 0.03 [223] SoFi 0.5 [80] FEA-driven robotic fish 0.44 [12] Tunabo 1.6 [313] Pneumatic-actuated manta robot 0.67 [116] PMC robotic cownose ray 0.033 [310] Rowing OCTOPUS 0.27 [17] ART 0.087 [8] PoseiDRONE 7.964 [399] Sea snailfish 0.45 [15] Robotic octopus 0.26 [309] Wave undulating DE-driven eel larva 0.0086 [64] Pneumatic-actuated eel robot 0.36 [348] FEA-driven eel robot 0.12 [66] Magnetic soft robot 0.47 [400] Jet-propelled Cephalopod-inspired SUUV 1.5 [243] Squid-like aquatic-aerial robot 43.9 [222] BUVMS with long-fin propulsion 0.23 [401] Cephalopod-inspired CPHJE 1.8 [402] RoboScallop 2.0 [325] of traditional, physically larger buoyancy regulation systems, such as pistons and pressurized tanks, and enable miniaturization of autonomous u...…”

Developments and Challenges of Miniature Piezoelectric Robots: A Review

“…In recent decades, miniature robots have attracted considerable attention in academic and industry due to their highlight features, including small size, light weight, low cost, and agile movement, [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ] compared with middle or large robots. [ 6 , 7 , 8 ] Miniature robots here refer to the robots with a characteristic size (body length) less than 100 mm (commonly from a few millimeters to a few centimeters).…”