A Robot Boat Driven by Wheeled Liquid Metal Motors Without Relying on Electrolyte Environment

Abstract

Abstract The electrochemical driving property of EGaIn liquid metal (LM) offers new opportunities for creating novel actuators and robots. Currently, the LM‐driven robots used in liquid environments are unable to escape the electrolyte environment, which makes them operate only in actively constructed electrolyte environments. In this study, a self‐powered dual‐propeller robot boat is designed, powered by two‐wheeled LM motors. The transmission system and magnetic coupling are designed to transmit rotational motion and isolate the external liquid environment from the internal LM motor and control module. It has the advantages of simple structure, easy maintenance, and noiseless. The influencing factors of LM driving are further analyzed and optimized and electrodes are found to be an important factor, unlike previous studies. In addition, the power and control module for controlling the robot boat are developed. Finally, the propeller can reach a maximum angular velocity of 5.9 rad s −1 in the water and the robot boat with a total mass of 1163 g (700 g load) can travel at a speed of 12 mm s −1 in the water. This work has far‐reaching significance in improving the performance of LM driving and promoting the development of wheeled LM motors.