Itty Bitty Robots etc..docVIP

Itty Bitty Robots etc. 　　A group of ants can move objects many times larger and heavier than themselves. This ability inspired a team of researchers to develop small robots that can do the same thing. The team created 29 millimeter long robots that can get a firm grip on the ground. In tests， six of the robots have just worked together to tow a full-size car. 　　They didnt move the car quickly. To haul it 12.5 centimeters took about one minute. 　　When ants carry a large item， such as a piece of food， they need good traction. To get a better grip， each ant presses its feet down harder. This increases the area of contact between each foot and the surface. Such ants served as the inspiration for David Christensen and his team of mechanical engineers at Stanford University California. 　　Ants can cling to a smooth wall or surface using small pads on their feet. When an ant puts its foot down， a tiny droplet of sticky gel oozes between the pad and wall. This holds the ant in place. When walking， only tiny bits of the ants feet stick to the ground. That makes it easy for the ant to move quickly. The mechanical engineers wanted to create miniscule robots capable of moving big， heavy objects. But robots cant ooze liquid the way ants do. Using sticky gel wasnt an option for the tiny bots. So the researchers turned their attention to gecko feet. 　　The bottom of a geckos foot has layers of tissue covered with tiny hairs. When the critter puts weight on the foot， those structures spread out. This increases contact between the foot and the surface to which the gecko clings. That contact allows van der Waals forces to hold the foot onto the surface. Van der Waals forces are tiny electrical attractions between molecules. By increasing the surface area between its foot and a leaf， wall or other object， the gecko uses enough van der Waals force to stay in place. Such stickiness is called adhesion. 　　微型机器人 　　蚁群能搬运体积和重量数倍于自身的物体。这种能力激发了某研究小组的灵感，他们开发了能像蚂蚁一样搬运数倍于自身体积和重量的物体的微型机器人