Program Manager: Dr. Mitchell Zakin
 During military operations it can be important
to gain covert access to denied or hostile
space. Unmanned platforms such as mechanical
robots are of limited effectiveness if the
only available points of entry are small openings.
The goal of the Chemical Robots (ChemBots)
Program is to create a new class of soft, flexible,
mesoscale mobile objects that can identify
and maneuver through openings smaller than
their dimensions and perform various tasks.
The program seeks to develop a ChemBot that
can perform several operations in sequence:
- Travel a distance;
- Traverse an arbitrary-shaped opening much
smaller than the largest characteristic dimension
of the robot itself;
- Reconstitute its size, shape, and functionality
after traversing the opening;
- Travel a distance; and
- Perform a function or task using an embedded
payload.
This program creates a convergence between
materials chemistry and robotics through the
application of any one of a number of approaches,
including gel-solid phase transitions, electro-
and magneto-rheological materials, geometric
transitions, and reversible chemical and/or
particle association and dissociation.
With ChemBots, our warfighters can gain access
to denied spaces and perform tasks safely,
covertly, and efficiently.
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