This was a hybrid event with in-person attendance in Wu and Chen and virtual attendance…
Nature routinely makes smart, complex, yet microscopically tiny machines. But how can humans do it? And can we do it in a way that is easy to design and understand? This talk is about building microscopic robots, those too small to see with the naked eye. By co-opting semiconductor technology, I’ll show how to build fully autonomous, programmable micro-robots. These machines pack memory, microprocessors, communication systems, sensors, actuators, and on-board power into a single package too small to see by eye. I’ll show several types of tiny robots including quadrupeds, hexapods and even some that use solid-state electrokinetic propulsion mechanisms to swim. Finally, I’ll discuss early applications, including a project to regrow damaged nerves by using robots to literally pull them where they need to go.