Remote-controlled crab-like robot is the smallest ever, university says

Engineers create tiny remote-controlled robot

Engineers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., said on May 25 they have developed "the smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot" in the form of a tiny crab.

Engineers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., announced they have created what they believe is "the smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot."

The robot resembles a tiny crab and measures just a half-millimeter wide. It can "bend, twist, crawl, walk, turn and even jump," according to a university news release.

Footage released by Northwestern University showed the tiny robot scurrying left to right and right to left, just as a crab would.

Smaller than a flea, tiny robotic crab sits next to the eye of a sewing needle. (Northwestern University via Storyful)

Size comparisons showed the robot appearing no bigger than the tip of a ballpoint pen or the eye of a sewing needle.

Researchers have also created millimeter-sized robots resembling inchworms, crickets and even beetles.

And while the robots are being made purely for exploratory purposes, researchers believe this will inspire further innovation of micro-sized technologies that can perform practical tasks inside tightly confined spaces.

Tiny walking robot stands on the edge of a coin. (Northwestern University via Storyful)

"Robotics is an exciting field of research, and the development of microscale robots is a fun topic for academic exploration," said John A. Rogers, who led the experimental work. "You might imagine micro-robots as agents to repair or assemble small structures or machines in industry or as surgical assistants to clear clogged arteries, to stop internal bleeding or to eliminate cancerous tumors — all in minimally invasive procedures."