The Fastest Microrobot Pitcher: Design Exploration for a Throwing Microrobot

Mantis shrimp are distinguished by their high-speed striking appendages, which achieve tip speeds on the order of tens of meters per second underwater in order to break open the shells of their prey. To better understand the mechanics by which mantis shrimp achieve these speeds, prior research has designed and modeled a striking microrobot to mimic the mantis shrimp's high speed appendage's striking behavior. Here, we utilize a similar mantis shrimp mechanism for small-scale throwing. After adapting the mechanism for projectiles, we describe improvements to the throwing speed via a process of modeling and experimental validation of key components. This work explores the inclusion of a passive joint on the throwing arm and different projectile carriage designs. The current device achieves throwing speeds of over 10 m/s for a 65 mg ball bearing, making it the fastest microrobot “pitcher” demonstrated to date.