MIT engineers have developed microscopic batteries designed to power cell-sized robots. Although they are only 0.1 millimeters long and 0.002 millimeters thick—about the thickness of a human hair—they can extract oxygen from the air.
The battery can then use this air to oxidize zinc, creating a current with a potential of up to 1 volt, enough to power a small circuit, sensor or actuator. Another advantage of this zinc-air battery is that it has a longer lifespan than many other types of batteries due to its high energy density. In this prototype, the battery was connected to an external device via a cable, but the researchers plan to eventually build robots with the battery integrated into a device.
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We believe this will advance robotics tremendously. We are building robotic functions into the battery and starting to assemble these components into devices,” said Michael Strano, Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and lead author of the study.
