Researchers have used a new manufacturing technology to produce low-voltage, soft actuators that can lift an insect-like drone into the air.
Aeronautical engineers at MIT are testing the concept of a lunar rover that floats on the Moon’s surface by harnessing the electrical charge it generates. In the absence of an atmosphere, the surface of the Moon and similar celestial bodies can build up an electric charge through direct exposure to sunlight. On the Moon, the resulting electric field can be strong enough to lift the fine dust on its surface to heights of more than a metre.