FSRL: Fuel Cell Power Networks for Micro-Sensors and Micro-Robots

FIELD AND SPACE ROBOTICS LABORATORY

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

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Fuel Cell Power Networks of Micro-Sensors and Micro-Robots

This research program focuses on the development of miniature long-life self-contained fuel cell power-supplies for large networks of very small environmental sensors and very small robots, including air vehicles. The objective of this research is to develop power-supplies that would weigh in the order of 10’s of grams that could provide power to sensor modules that have operational lives of many months, ideally many years. This power supply concept could also power micro-robots for weeks or months in hostile field conditions, such as terrestrial desserts or on surfaces of the planets of the Solar System and the Moon.

Figure. A Micro Fuel Cell Power System Schematic

Small lightweight batteries alone are not able provide the necessary total energy for long duration missions, particularly in environments with wide temperature swings, such as in remote deserts. While micro fuel cells generate relatively power devices, they can produce relatively large amounts of energy during a mission to provide very long-life for low power systems. In our work we have shown that matching micro-fuel cells with batteries in a hybrid system can provide very long life power for micro-robots and their communication electronics for missions that permit the robots “rest periods.”

While large fuel cells have been used successfully in applications such as spacecraft for many years, their use for providing long-life power for very small sensor nodes in field networks and micro field robots has yet to be considered. The use of micro fuel cells in field missions presents a number of technical challenges. These challenges include the development of effective micro (possibly passive) controllers for their thermal management, effective means to store their required hydrogen fuel, and the demonstration their ability to reliably prove long-life power. These basic engineering science challenges are being addressed in this study in the MIT field and Space Robotics Laboratory.

This project requires experience in electromechanical design, controls and experimental work.