Liquid Metal Motor

Researchers at University of Science and Technology of China, University of Birmingham, Soochow University, NC State, and University of Wollongong report a motor driven by liquid metal droplets without using conventional electromagnets.

This work was published in iScience in 2021 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.1....

Liquid metal is becoming a promising material for applications in soft functional devices and machines. However, previous liquid metal enabled machines have several issues, such as the requirement of a liquid environment, generation of weak actuating forces, and insufficient maneuverability. To overcome these restrictions, here, a motor is developed based on the electrical actuation of liquid metal droplets. The motor uses interfacial tension of liquid metal droplets to drive the rotor in a revolving manner. Unlike previous liquid metal machines, the motor can create stable and continuous torque outside a liquid environment. In addition, a liquid metal electrical brush is introduced to operate the motor with low friction and low wear. The unique driving mechanism endows the motor with several advantages, including (1) the operation has low friction, no sparking, and low noise; (2) the working environment is versatile (can be operated in both liquid and air); and (3) being built from soft materials that could be readily adapted to drive various untethered soft robotic systems.

Thank you to Febby Krisnadi for helping to create this video.