Observing and exploring nature and taking cues from it, has been our best bet for advancement and security.
In such a pursuit, robotic engineers have designed an arm on the butterfly model.
Credit goes to the researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf for their out-of-the-box thinking.
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They have designed robot wings that need magnetic push (fields) and are thus flexible and economical.
For this purpose, they examined the monarch butterfly and were influenced by its workability and resilience and as a great outcome, they were able to ensure meticulous movements sans any electronics and batteries.
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Now, such an innovative model, inspired by a gorgeous and colourful flying being is highly likely to alter the scope of rescue operations, environmental monitoring and bio-medical applications.
Why Only Monarch Butterflies? Tech news updates in India
Monarch butterflies are renowned for their exceptional adaptability and durability.
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As they migrate between Canada and Mexico each year, they travel thousands of kilometres.
Their specially styled wings, which combine active movement and passive bending to enable energy-efficient flying, are the secret to this accomplishment.
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The creation of the magnetically powered robotic wings was motivated by these characteristics.
Under the direction of Dr Denys Makarov of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and Professor Oliver Gutfleisch of the Institute of Material Science at TU Darmstadt, the team constructed wings out of pliable plastic that had embedded magnetic particles.
These particles move in response to external magnetic fields, bending the wings to mimic the motions of a butterfly.
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Twelve distinct wing designs were first created utilizing 3D printing, which made the development process difficult.
Vein structures in certain designs were based on the veins found naturally in monarch butterfly wings.
The objective was to determine how these patterns impact the wings’ efficiency and mobility using a combination of trials and finite element analysis. Fintech news latest today India.
The journal Advanced Intelligent Systems published the findings. Tech news updates in India at the click of a button.
They demonstrate how larger wings with vein structures are more flexible, resilient, and pliable.
One of the study’s primary authors, Kilian Schäfer, says, “The biggest challenge was to print ultra-thin, flexible structures that are also robust enough to withstand the loads.”
Numerous Application Domains
The magnetic wings have a wide range of possible uses.
For instance, “winged” robots could be employed in the environmental field to do air quality research or pollinator population monitoring.
Such robots would be perfect for traveling to disaster regions, for instance, where they might be deployed to search for and rescue people, because the wings allow for a tiny and energy-efficient design.
The goal of the project was to create flexible magnetic wings that don’t require any electronic parts to operate.
However, other shape-changing robots can also use the new method.
For instance, the recently created technology creates opportunities for the medical field: minimally invasive surgery, such as procedures on delicate tissue, may employ lightweight robots, with precisely regulated movements.
Furthermore, the construction of artificial muscles or intelligent materials that can alter their structure in response to demands could be facilitated by the principles of bio-inspired robotics.
Before the new technology may be used, more research is required.
At this juncture, Mr Muhammad Bilal Khan also turns up who is a part of the study group. He says, “The current wings still require external magnetic fields, but future developments could integrate miniaturized magnetic field generators to enable autonomous movements,”
The team’s goal is to find out how intricate control over motions and flight paths is made possible by changes to the magnetic field.
