Tri-Eapiezo Crawler: A Mems-Based Tripedal Microrobot Featuring PVDF Actuators and EA Pads for Agile Navigation

This work present a tripedal microrobot integrating polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) actuators and electroadhesive (EA) pads (Tri-EAPiezo Crawler), capable of achieving linear locomotion on flat surfaces and multimode turning at various angles. The robot offers several key advantages: (a) A MEMS fabrication process enables the PVDF actuators to deliver enhanced deformation and output force; (b) Compared to electro-responsive actuators such as dielectric elastomers (DEs), the system operates at a driving voltage below 1.5 kV with a low power consumption of$682 \mu\ \mathrm{W} / \text{cm}^{2}$; (c) The robot is capable of achieving rapid crawling speed ($0.8 \text{BL} / \mathrm{s}$) and turning speeds ($3.27 \text{rad} / \mathrm{s}$); and (d) The microrobot exhibits robust environmental adaptability and a diverse repertoire of turning modes, allowing agile navigation across a variety of terrain conditions and making it well-suited for exploration of unknown and confined spaces.