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MIT researchers built a zinc-air microbattery just 2 picoliters in volume that powered tiny electronic components and an actuator. It is a step toward cell-sized robots that carry their own power—not a demonstration of a complete, untethered robot. The team connected the battery to an external device during the study and described robot integration as future work.
What MIT’s tiny battery is—and what it powered
The device is a primary zinc-air microbattery described in the 2024 Science Robotics paper “High energy density picoliter-scale zinc-air microbatteries for colloidal robotics.” Made as a microscale zinc/platinum/SU-8 structure using photolithographic patterning, an individual battery has a volume of 2 picoliters. MIT describes it as 0.1 millimeters long and 0.002 millimeters thick, roughly the thickness of a human hair; the Strano Research Group describes devices below 100 micrometers laterally and about 2 micrometers thick. The paper abstract reports an open-circuit voltage of 1.05 ± 0.12 volts, total energy of 5.5 ± 0.3 to 7.7 ± 1.0 microjoules, and maximum power near 2.7 nanowatts.
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Researchers demonstrated that the battery could supply small loads: a micrometer-sized memristor circuit, a clock circuit, two chemical sensors, and a bending actuator. The sensors detected chemicals through changes in electrical resistance; MIT identifies molybdenum disulfide and carbon nanotubes as the respective sensor materials. These demonstrations establish power for specific components, not the mobility or endurance of a complete robot. MIT News’ account says the battery was wired to an external device and that integrating it into a robot remained future work.
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How a picoliter zinc-air battery works
Unlike a conventional sealed battery, this design draws oxygen from its surroundings. Zinc oxidation releases electrons, which travel through the circuit toward the platinum electrode; oxygen participates in the cathode reaction. The battery’s surroundings therefore matter to how it operates.
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A 2024 Nature Reviews Materials highlight explains that in biomedical environments the design can use dissolved oxygen and ionic species already present, without an integrated electrolyte. In dry environments, an ionic-liquid electrolyte can be added, but that comes with a performance trade-off. The device is thus an environment-dependent power source, not a drop-in miniature version of a sealed consumer cell.
How small is it, and what do the headline numbers mean?
The Strano Research Group reports an energy-density range of 760–1,070 watt-hours per liter for devices below 100 micrometers laterally and around 2 micrometers thick. That is a volumetric energy-density figure for the reported microbattery devices; it does not mean a robot with this battery can perform complex movement or run indefinitely. The study’s measured energy per device is in the microjoule range, and its maximum power is only about 2.7 nanowatts.
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Photolithography offers a route to making many devices at once: the group says its process can release 10,000 devices per wafer into solution. The group also reports reversible bending of microscale bimorph actuators at 0.05 hertz. These figures describe fabrication scale and a specific actuator demonstration, respectively—not the production volume of a commercial product or a robot’s operating speed. The group’s project page summarizes the fabrication and device results.
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Why onboard power matters for colloidal robots
Some earlier MIT colloidal electronics used photodiodes to harvest light and had no internal battery. That approach can power functions when an external light source is available; carrying an energy store could make a device less dependent on that source. It is one design trade-off, not evidence that batteries are the only way to power microrobots. The research group also discusses propulsion that converts chemical, electrical, optical, or acoustic energy into mechanical work.
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As Strano put it in the MIT report, “A battery is essential for something that’s not going to be tethered to the outside world.” He also said, “We’re building robotic functions onto the battery and starting to put these components together into devices.” The statements describe the motivation and direction of the work, rather than a finished autonomous robot. MIT’s 2018 report covers the earlier light-powered colloidal-device approach.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is still prospective
Cell-sized robots with onboard batteries could eventually support sensing or drug delivery inside the body, or help locate leaks in gas pipelines. These are proposed applications, not established deployments. MIT notes that a future biomedical device would need biocompatible materials and might be designed to break apart after use; the reported work is not a validated medical device or clinical treatment.
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The key remaining step is system integration: combining a power source with sensing, control, and movement in a working robot, then showing that the assembled device functions in its intended environment. The battery study demonstrated useful building blocks, but its results do not establish a fully integrated, untethered cell-sized robot.
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