- Researchers developed a 3D-printing method for hydraulic components
- Method prints rigid support, flexible components and fluid-filled channels
- 3D-printed robots need no assembly, only a motor and battery to walk off
- Robots are limited by the printer, so sacrifice mechanical strength, but this could be outweighed by the ease and speed of the automated process
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The machines are now making machines of their own, and there's no assembly required.
Researchers in the US have developed 3D-printed robots containing solid and liquid parts which only need to be connected to a motor and power supply before they can scuttle off.
By laying down all the components as it goes, the 3D printer can produce the robot's rigid support, flexible components and fluid filled channels as it builds up the layers.
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Researchers at MIT have developed a 3D printing technique for producing hydraulic components. Describing the one-step process as a step towards the future of robotic production, the group was able to print a six-legge d robot (pictured) which just requires a motor and battery to walk off the production line
The method makes it possible to print robots with hydraulic parts, simplifying the production process so even a novice can print their own robot.
So far, the team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology has printed a range of components, as well as a fully-printed six-legged bug-bot which can scuttle away on its rubbery limbs, and a soft gripper for picking up objects.
Describing the one-step process in a new paper, accepted ahead of a robotics conference in Sweden next month, researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) claim their method is a step towards the future of robotic production.
'Our approach, which we call 'Printable Hydraulics,' is a step towards the rapid fabrication of functional machines,' explained Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL who oversaw the project.
The six-legged 3D printed robot bears a resemblance to the AT-AT walkers from the Star Wars films (pictured)
By laying down all the components as it goes, the 3D printer can produce the robot's rigid support, flexible components and fluid filled channels as it builds up the layers. Printhead nozzle s deposit drops up to 30µm in diameter before solidifying them with UV light, skipping the liquid drops (illustrated)
'All you have to do is stick in a battery and motor, and you have a robot that can practically walk right out of the printer.'
Using an inkjet printhead with a number of nozzles to lay down the polymers and fluid, the method can generate bellows structures, which form the basis of hydraulic pumps.
Similar to an inkjet printer using different coloured inks, it uses different materials which either solidify on contact with UV light or one that doesn't.
In the printing process, nozzles deposit drops up to 30µm in diameter - less than half the width of a human hair - before solidifying them with UV light, skipping the liquid drops.
The team explains that there is no need to get rid of air bubbles from the hydraulic systems, as the pumps are manufactured in one go.
True to their word, the MIT researchers created a six-legged 'hexapod' robot with twelve hydraulic pum ps, which was able to move after a motor and battery were installed. They also produced a flexible gripping machine arm.
'Inkjet printing lets us have eight different print-heads deposit different materials adjacent to one another, all at the same time,' said Robert MacCurdy, a researcher on the project.
'It gives us very fine control of material placement, which is what allows us to print complex, pre-filled fluidic channels.
Researchers at MIT have developed a 3D printing technique for producing hydraulic components. Using an inkjet printhead with a number of nozzles to lay down the polymers and fluid, the method can generate bellows structures, which form the basis of hydraulic pumps for robots and mechanical gripping hands
So far, the team has printed a range of components, as well as a fully printed six-legged bug-bot which can scuttle away on its rubbery limbs and a soft gripper for picking up objects (pictured left and right)
'As far as I'm concerned, inkjet-printing is currently the best way to print multiple materials.'
However, the team clarifies the printed robots are affected by the limitations of the printer - namely the polymer used in the printing process, and so sacrifice mechanical strength.
But, for some, these disadvantages would be outweighed by the ease and speed of the automatic printing process.
For the moment, the process remains constrained by current printer technology, but experts believe that as 3D printing technology develops the manufacturing capabilities will improve.
