Science fiction never fails to present spectacular images of robotics, such as the health companion Baymax. In reality, however, robotics may be less visually appealing than their portrayal in pop culture.
Researchers are more about function than aesthetics, so many work on soft robot technologies, providing mobility to the squishy devices. Most "boneless" robots move thanks to the inflation and deflation of gas pumps and chambers within them.
Even if a myriad of ideas to implement such mechanisms persist, the practical reality causes some drawbacks. The main issue is that the robots need to be supplied with either pressure (tubes must be connected to them at all times) or energy (they must return to a home base to recharge). A Harvard team, on the other hand, constructed a soft robot that jumps around using the power of explosions.
A team of researchers from Okayama University in Japan, however, figured out a solution to the two problems.
The paper they presented at the 2013 Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics International Conference discussed "a new mobile pressure control system for pneumatic actuators using reversible chemical reactions of water."
Last week, a real-life device that applies the theoretical content of that paper to real life was showcased in a video.
The process is delightfully simple and efficient. First, a catalyst acts as a "water breaker," meaning that the H20 molecules are dismantled into basic hydrogen and oxygen gas. The process is then reversed, turning the gas into water. The whole back-and-forth cycle takes only a couple of seconds.
What this creates is a pneumatic actuator with zero fuel consumption: a gas generator that only needs electricity to run. It is a great alternative to using standard gas generators, which have a limit to the number of actuations. It also beats air compressor mechanisms because it lacks mobile parts to set the generator in motion. Moreover, the gadget is totally self-contained and energy efficient, since the deflation process is inertial and requires no energy.
The discovery is important because it provides a way to keep a soft robot going for periods of time, provided that the actuator is sealed up neatly inside and gets the electricity it needs.
