The Harvard Ambulatory MicroRobot (HAMR) is now fast, maneuverable, and fully functional outdoors without reliance on a tether. This version, HAMR-F, was recently published in
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.
Title: Power and Control Autonomy for High Speed Locomotion With an Insect-Scale Legged Robot
Authors: Benjamin Goldberg, Raphael Zufferey, Neel Doshi, E. Farrell Helbling, Griffin Whittredge, Mirko Kovac, and Robert J. Wood
At only 2.8 g and 4.5 cm in length, HAMR-F is capable of locomotion at speeds up to 17.2 cm/s (3.8 body lengths per second) with an onboard battery. There is a bidirectional wireless RF link for data communication and an onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU) provides feedback for heading control.
HAMR-F was developed in the Harvard Microrobotics Lab and funded by the NSF, Wyss Institute for Biologically-Inspired Engineering, and the ARO DURIP program.