Flexible Printed Circuit Board (PCB) -Based Mobile Sensor Platform

A method for controlling operation of a flexible printed circuit board (“PCB”)-based mobile sensor platform, the flexible PCB-based mobile sensor platform comprising at least one body portion, a microcontroller disposed on the at least one body portion, one or more sensors disposed on the at least one body portion and configured to collect sensor data, a transceiver disposed on the at least one body portion, the transceiver being configured to receive wireless instructions for the microcontroller to execute and being configured to send the collected sensor data to an external device, and a locomotion system comprising one or more flexible PCB portions and corresponding one or more actuators, each actuator among the one or more actuators communicatively coupled to the microcontroller and configured to cause a corresponding flexible PCB portion among the one or more flexible PCB portions to bend and unbend, wherein the method comprises:

• sending, using the microcontroller, instructions to at least one actuator among the one or more actuators;
• in response to receiving the instructions, causing, using the at least one actuator, bending and unbending of corresponding at least one flexible PCB portion among the one or more flexible PCB portions that causes the flexible PCB-based mobile sensor platform to move toward a target location within a first environment, by moving along at least one first direction;
• and
• in response to determining that the flexible PCB-based mobile sensor platform has arrived at the target location, collecting, using the one or more sensors, sensor data regarding at least one of the target location, an object located at the target location, or a portion of the object, and sending, using the microcontroller, the collected sensor data to the external device via the transceiver.