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研究人员University of the West of Englandhave used 3D printing to create a spherical rover that can be powered entirely using photosynthesis.
Composed of an algae ball housed inside a PLA casing, this Marimo Actuated Rover System or ‘MARS’ device, is capable of accumulating sufficient oxygen in a given area to enable it to roll in that direction. Using this ‘rotational torque’ phenomenon, the team say that their system can move autonomously, potentially making it ideal for carrying sensors into habitats which humans can’t otherwise reach.
光合功率采购
According to the researchers, many of the conventional rovers used to access challenging environments suffer from issues around their “robustness and autonomous operation in uncertain conditions.” One potential way the team has identified of improving upon existing designs, is to make their power sources more self-sufficient, with solar energy representing a promising alternative.
在自然世界中，光合作用用于有机地收集这种太阳能，因为生物通过在各自的电子传输系统中发生的反应将收集的光子从阳光，氧气和水转化为葡萄糖，氧气和水，这使其成为理想的电源漫游者需要可靠的推进。
However, the scientists say that the chloroplasts used to achieve this in green plants have a maximum photosynthetic efficiency of 36%. In order to fully-optimize the photosynthetic process, the team therefore propose “combining it with human engineering,” in a way that yields a novel autonomous rover with the ability to not only navigate remotely, but do so without constantly needing to be refueled.
介绍“火星”马里莫球
Essentially, the researchers’ approach to autonomous travel revolves around the Marimo algae, which naturally congregates into balls in freshwater rivers. In its typical environment, the plantlife observably rises and falls between currents, as its filamentous structure and naturally-occurring internal compartments attract bubbles that periodically lift it to the surface before dissipating, causing it to sink.
当整合到部分时 -Ultimaker S5-3D打印球体，充满了比水密度低的空气密度，这些球的光合作用过程可用于使足够的氧气不对称地产生足够的氧气，以移动设备的质量中心，从而使其移动。
“如果罗孚是球形,这有助于释放om to move in three dimensions,” explain the scientists in their paper. “The low density of gas compared to water means the gas rises in the form of bubbles to minimize its overall Potential Energy (PE). As the volume of trapped gas increases over time the peak rotational torque increases until motion is achieved.”
Inside the MARS rover, such Marimo balls are held in place by 3D printed enclosures, initially designed to feature a range of shapes, to allow the team to identify the geometry and tessellation factor for achieving the optimal energy yield. Interestingly, during testing, in which each of four prototypes were deployed underwater in a pool, those with the largest integrated ‘vents’ performed best.
In their paper, the team theorized that this was due to the need for “reliable bubble release,” which meant that the number, location and size of each prototype’s vents “had a significant impact on [their] speed and smoothness of rotation.”
Likewise, the researchers discovered that those containing split Marimo balls in pentagonal enclosures achieved the best gas release, while their fastest iteration was capable of traveling at up to 275mm per hour. Given these demonstrable autonomous drive capabilities, the scientists say that the MARS could be deployed in future Antarctic expeditions, where self-sufficiency is more vital than speed.
“Potential applications for the MARS platform can be found in situations where speed of operation is not imperative but device longevity is,” concluded the scientists in their paper. “For example, strategic water sampling and water quality monitoring, inspection of deep underground mines, mediating interactions between underwater animals, studies and control of fish groups or ecological studies.”
Autonomous 3D printed vehicles
As 3D printing’s compatibility with ultra-resistant materials continues to grow, so does the technology’s application in the production of all-terrain vehicles, designed to be robust enough to tackle anything nature can throw at them.
In one such use case, late last year,Lockheed MartinusedMakerbot3D printing to develop and test elements of anAI驱动的Lunar Rover。专为部署而设计NASA的mission to return to the Moon, the vehicle’s system housings and sensor mounts were made from durable ABS, in a way that was said to make them UV, heat and moisture-resistant.
At China’s天津大学, meanwhile, researchers have come up with a3D打印的管道机器人，为在Terra Firma上的应用程序开发。该小机器人具有一系列软弯曲机制和模块化的握手，能够攀登奇特的基础架构，并修复否则易于访问的管道。
The researchers’ findings are detailed in their paper titled “Marimo actuated rover systems,” which was co-authored by Neil Phillips, Thomas C. Draper, Richard Mayne, Darren M. Reynolds and Andrew Adamatzky.
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Featured image shows the researchers’ 3D printed ‘MARS’ rover. Image via the University of the West of England.
