Bioinspired Design and Energetic Feasibility of an Autonomous Swimming Microrobot

A mobile microrobot is an untethered robotic device with typical size ranging from few micrometres to few millimetres. Endowing such a microrobot with autonomy-oriented capabilities, e.g. self-propulsion and self-powering, represents a scientific and technological challenge that requires innovative approaches. Bioinspiration provides fundamental cues for designing microrobots, enabling the development of working devices. Here we present the conceptual design of an autonomous swimming microrobot relying on biomimetic glucose-based powering, reporting a preliminary analysis on its energetic feasibility.