Related papers: A laser-microfabricated electrohydrodynamic thrust…
The electrohydrodynamic (EHD) force produced by ions ejected from a corona plasma is a solid state, silent mechanism for accelerating air, useful for applications ranging from electronics cooling to flying microrobots. This paper presents…
Attempts to use Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow for propulsion have been made since the last century [1]. Limited success has been registered particularly due to the inhomogeneous generation of the thrust, and also the very light weight and…
Miniature locomotion robots with the ability to navigate confined environments show great promise for a wide range of tasks, including search and rescue operations. Soft miniature locomotion robots, as a burgeoning field, have attracted…
Achieving short-distance flight helps improve the efficiency of humanoid robots moving in complex environments (e.g., crossing large obstacles or reaching high places) for rapid emergency missions. This study proposes a design of a flying…
Electroaerodynamic (EAD) propulsion, where thrust is produced by collisions between electrostatically-accelerated ions and neutral air, is a potentially transformative method for indoor flight owing to its silent and solid-state nature.…
Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) thrust is produced when ionized fluid is accelerated in an electric field due to the momentum transfer between the charged species and neutral molecules. We extend the previously reported analytical model that…
Here we present the design of an insect-scale microrobot that generates lift by spinning its wings. This is in contrast to most other microrobot designs at this size scale which rely on flapping wings to produce lift. The robot has a wing…
The controlled actuation of hydraulic and pneumatic actuators has unveiled fresh and thrilling opportunities for designing mobile robots with adaptable structures. Previously reported rolling robots, which were powered by fluidic systems,…
Electroaerodynamic propulsion, where force is produced through collisions between electrostatically accelerated ions and neutral air molecules, is an attractive alternative to propeller- and flapping wing-based methods for micro air vehicle…
Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow induced by planar corona discharge in the wall boundary layer region is investigated experimentally and via a multiphysics computational model. The EHD phenomena has many potential engineering applications,…
A solid-state electro-aerodynamic propulsion system applies a high electric potential difference between two electrodes to ionize air within the resulting electric field, accelerating the ions to generate thrust. Previously, the so-called…
Based on the consideration of increasing the number of initial electrons and providing an appropriate distribution of electric field strength for discharge space, a method of adopting the wire-cylindrical type electrode structure with a…
Aerial robots the size of a honeybee (~100 mg) have advantages over larger robots because of their small size, low mass and low materials cost. Previous iterations have demonstrated controlled flight but were difficult to fabricate because…
We present the design of an insect-sized jumping microrobot measuring 17mm$\times$6mm$\times$14mm and weighing 75 milligrams. The microrobot consumes 6.4mW of power to jump up by 8mm in height. The tethered version of the robot can jump 6…
Electromagnetic propulsion technology has been thought to provide a potential form of future spacecraft propulsion for some time. In contrast to ion thrusters, which utilize the Coulomb force to accelerate positively charged species,…
Ultrafine particle behavior in electro-hydrodynamic (EHD) flow induced by corona discharge is studied experimentally and numerically. The EHD flow serves as a primary particle aspiration/sampling mechanism, the collector does not require…
Rapid and versatile object manipulation in air is an open challenge. An energy-efficient and adaptive soft gripper combined with an agile aerial vehicle could revolutionize aerial robotic manipulation in areas such as warehousing. This…
In the quest for electrically-driven soft actuators, the focus has shifted away from liquid-gas phase transition, commonly associated with reduced strain rates and actuation delays, in favour of electrostatic and other electrothermal…
Rigid robots can be precise in repetitive tasks, but struggle in unstructured environments. Nature's versatility in such environments inspires researchers to develop biomimetic robots that incorporate compliant and contracting artificial…
This research work is part of a PhD project aiming to design a new helicon plasma thruster for cargo space missions, within a collaboration between the School of Aerospace Engineering of La Sapienza University and the ENEA Frascati research…