Researchers create a remote-controlled walking robot shaped like a crab

According to foreign media reports on May 30. local time on Wednesday, researchers from the United States Northwestern University announced the smallest ever remote-controlled walking robot on public display.

The robot's size is very small, its appearance resembles a crab.

The researchers said that the robot not only looks cute and small, it has many working scenarios.

For example, it can go into spaces that are narrow and difficult for people to reach to help build other equipment.

In addition, thanks to its compact size, it doesn't need wires or electricity to operate.

It could even someday roam through the human body, like some sort of nifty six-legged medical assistant.

“We can imagine the remotely controlled walking robot as repairing or assembling industrial small and medium-sized machineries, the

Or as a surgical assistant to clear blocked arteries, stop bleeding, or eliminate cancerous tumors.

“ John A. Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University, said in a statement.

He is also a co-author of the paper published Wednesday in the journal Science Robotics.

Interestingly, Rogers and his team of researchers, did not limit the look of the miniature remote-controlled walking robot to the existing crab look.

The team may be building more shapes of microbots in the future. For example, crickets, beetles and inchworms.

“With these assembly techniques and material concepts, we can build walking robots in almost any size or 3D shape,” Rogers said.

“But the students were inspired and amused by the sideways crawling motion of the little crab. It's a creative and whimsical area of study.

“ Rogers said. “And the development of micro-robots is an interesting topic for academic exploration.”