Robot Fabrication via Layered Manufacturing

This proposal is to grow complex alloys on flexible electronics (polymer) substrates that can be layered upon one-another to form agile and dexterous millirobots with excellent power to weight ratios. The process includes CAD modeling of the robots, folded panel extraction of the polymer, simulation and then fabrication in state of the art hitherto unavailable electroforming equipment. The end goal of the project is to produce a method of muscular tissue formation that would incorporate actuation and sensing. The technology will allow for the design and fabrication of meso-scale devices that are relatively simple to design and fabricate having superior performance characteristics than those presently available. Other advantages of this technology are that it uses a flexible electronic substrate and many organic electronic technologies are being developed on this format. This potentially gives the millirobot the ability to (e.g.) harvest solar energy through OPVC"s (Organic PhotoVoltatics) and hide like a chameleon using organic display type camouflage.