High-impulse and reactant-regenerative combustion-based micro actuators.

A 1.5-centimeter reactant-regenerative combustion micro-actuator generates forces above 20 newtons and runs continuously for >7200 cycles without refueling.

• Why it matters: Fuel dependence has limited combustion-based micro-actuators, so a closed-cycle approach is needed to replenish reactants in real time.
• What they did: The work uses bidirectional hydrogen–water interconversion to regenerate reactants for electrolysis and combustion, then builds and tests the 1.5-cm actuator.
• The result: Experiments show strength and cross-environment versatility, including underwater cavitation for removing obstacles, jetting, and striking, enabling integration into small robotic platforms for active reconfiguration.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.