In 2022, Zain Ahmad Qureshi from Pakistan built a robot that was believed to be the smallest robot ever. Now, that record has been broken by four robotics team members at Hong Kong’s Diocesan Boys’ School.
Students Aaron Ho Yat Fung, Isaac Zachary To, Justin Wang Tou Duong, and Ngo Hei Leung have built the world’s smallest humanoid robot. This smallest robot has a height of 141 mm (5.55 in) – shorter than a standard ballpoint pen.
In addition to setting a world record, this robot has also been developed as a “small, low cost, rechargeable and programmable” tool for STEAM education workshops.
Students used computer-aided design (CAD) to design this robot. They first determined the robot’s technical specifications and necessary components and then contracted a factory to manufacture servo motors tailored to their requirements.
Servo motors/servos are electronic devices designed to rotate and move specific machine parts accurately. These servos enable smooth movements of the robot’s legs and arms.
The team created a 16-channel servo control board to program and manipulate the servos. The robot also has acrylic panels and 3D-printed components.
Once they gathered all the parts, the students started assembling their robots. They began with the legs- using eight servos for the feet, knees, and hips. They made sure the robot could walk on two legs. Then, they assembled the arms, using servos to allow shoulder and elbow movement.
Finally, they tested where to put the battery and control board. Initially, they planned the battery unit to be too big and heavy for the robot to hold. But, later, they settled for a smaller 7.4V lithium-ion battery. The control board was placed on the robot’s back so that onboard buttons could be used to control the robot.
The students also created a mobile app to control the robot’s actions.
