First leaps of an electrostatic inchworm motor-driven jumping microrobot

Abstract

Here is presented the first MEMS microrobot capable of using onboard motors to store enough mechanical energy to jump. This 43 mg microrobot achieves this by utilizing an inchworm-of-inchworms motor topology, which allows the force from a standard electrostatic inchworm motor to be amplified by a factor of 10 while increasing its areal force density. An off-chip microcontroller has successfully run this motor through 14 steps, deflecting the main shuttle 560 μm and storing over 1 μJ of energy. The microrobot has jumped 1 mm using energy stored by its motors, and 6.5 mm when its springs were loaded externally.