A team of engineers at MIT has developed a tiny battery that could potentially power cell-sized autonomous robots for drug delivery within the human body. The battery, which is just 0.1 millimeters long and 0.002 millimeters thick, can capture oxygen from the air and use it to oxidize zinc, creating a current with a potential of up to 1 volt. This level of power is enough to drive small circuits, sensors, and actuators that could be incorporated into robotic devices.
Lead by Professor Michael Strano, the team behind this innovation envisions that the tiny battery could be a significant contribution to the field of robotics. By integrating a power source directly within these microscale robots, they could be set free to roam autonomously without the need for a constant external power supply. The current approach of using solar power to energize microscale devices requires continuous exposure to a light source, limiting their potential applications. Integrating a battery within these robots would provide them with increased autonomy, allowing them to access and explore confined spaces independently.
The zinc-air battery developed by the MIT engineers consists of a zinc electrode connected to a platinum electrode embedded in a strip of SU-8 polymer commonly used in microelectronics. When these electrodes come into contact with oxygen molecules from the air, the zinc undergoes oxidation, releasing electrons that flow to the platinum electrode, generating a current. The researchers demonstrated that this battery could power various components such as an actuator, a memristor for storing memories, a clock circuit, and sensors that can detect chemicals in the environment.
The team plans to further enhance the battery’s voltage to enable more diverse applications. By incorporating this battery into tiny robots, potential uses could be expanded to include drug delivery within the human body. These biocompatible devices could be designed to target specific sites within the body and release drugs such as insulin. Once their mission is complete, the biocompatible materials that make up these robots would disintegrate harmlessly within the body.
This groundbreaking research was supported by funding from various agencies such as the U.S. Army Research Office, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and a MathWorks Engineering Fellowship. The MIT team is excited about the prospects of integrating this tiny battery into future robotic designs and laying the groundwork for innovative healthcare solutions and other applications that require autonomous microscale robots. The potential for these tiny robots to deliver drugs inside the body or carry out tasks such as leak detection in gas pipelines could revolutionize various industries and impact the field of robotics significantly.