Professor Itai Cohen is one of two LASSPers to receive a 2023 A&S New Frontier grant for a project. His project, titled “Strong Amphibious Robots,” seeks to build on the Cohen Group’s previous research on microscopic robots and origami metamaterials. They want to build on the autonomous walking microrobot that the Cohen group designed in a joint effort with Alyosha Molnar (associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Cornell Engineering) and Paul McEuen (professor of physical sciences at Arts & Sciences), strengthening their micro-actuators and adapting them to function in air.

The Cohen group has already created preliminary proof-of-concept microscopic actuators that work in the air. The New Frontier grant will allow them, in collaboration with the Molnar group, to refine the actuator materials and integrate them with a CMOS circuit (which act as the robot’s brain). The end goal is a power-efficient autonomous robot that can function in both aqueous and air environments, and generate stronger forces during actuation.

Author: Meredith Czymmek

See also:

• Cornell Arts & Sciences Article – 5/17/23
• Cornell Chronicle Article – 5/17/23

Further reading:

• Potential applications of microrobots in medicine – 2022 Topical Review, Institute of Physics