There are extremes in just about every topic one can think of. From the smallest atom to the vast universe that surrounds it or the 3D printing of houses versus an emerging trend of tiny 3D printed robots; important discoveries can be witnessed at every scale.
A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science have recently focused their efforts on one of these ends and 3D printing was essential in accomplishing their goal of making the smallest self-powered controllable flying robot (named Piccolissimo after the Italian word for “tiniest.”).
The robot itself comes in two sizes. The lighter of the two weighs in at 2.5 grams and is about the diameter of a quarter. Its larger sibling, about 2 grams heavier and a centimetre wider has the important advantage of being remote controllable. And considering Piccolissimo only has two moving parts (a propeller and the body itself) that’s rather impressive.
Matt Piccoli, the team’s lead notes that “the body spins around 40 times per second, while the propeller spins about 800 times per second. Since the propeller is mounted off-center on the vehicle body, the propeller’s center, and therefore the location of its thrust, also spins around 40 times per second.”
This process of control doesn’t sou...
SOURCE: 3ders.org ( go on reading...)
