A Fairy-like Robot is brought to life by the wind and light

There is a project called “FAIRY” that is being carried out by researchers from the Light Robots group at Tampere University. As a result of this project, smart material is going to be able to fly. A team of scientists led by Hao Zeng and Jianfeng Yang has developed a polymer-assembly robot that is controlled by light and that flies using the wind to fly through the air. Detailed information about this event can be found here…

A fairy-like robot flies by the power of wind and light

The artificial fairy resembles a dandelion seed, and it comes with an actuator that is made up of a soft liquid crystalline elastomer material, which responds to light. As well as controlling the take-off and landing actions of the robot, light can be used to change its shape and change its shape. As a next step, the researchers will try to improve the material’s sensitivity in order to allow it to operate in daylight, as well as to scale the structure up to accommodate micro-electronic devices, sensors, and biochemical compounds.

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It is powered by wind and light to fly a fairy-like robot that resembles a robot

There are many potential applications for this robot, including artificial pollination, where millions of artificial seeds could be dispersed by natural winds and then directed to specific areas by the use of light to ensure that they reach the right places. As of September 2021, the FAIRY project, which is the result of a five-year collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany, and the Aalto University in Finland, is currently underway and has a duration of five years.

Despite the fact that the concept of artificial fairies controlled by light and wind is promising, several challenges still need to be addressed, such as precise control over landing spots, reusability, and biodegradability of the fairies.

For the purpose of addressing these issues, close collaboration with materials scientists and microrobot researchers will be required. As a next step, the researchers will work on improving the material’s sensitivity in order to make the device more operable in direct sunlight. In addition, they will up-scale the structure so that it can carry micro-electronic devices such as GPS and sensors as well as biochemical compounds.