Abstract: Power-supply is one of the bottlenecks that restrict the extensive application and further development of energy self-supplying robots. Based on the present investigation of the conventional energy-packets and power-supply systems, the principle, the energy-releasing way and the advantages of monopropellant powered engines (MPEs), which are dramatically different from the convectional I.C.engines are discussed. The typical working-ability parameters such as the fuel heating values, the expansion coefficient, the adiabatic decomposition temperature as well as the energy density are analyzed by taking high test hydrogen peroxide (HTP) as an example. The research projects and the achievements of the developing MPEs for self-powered robots are described and summarized; the key problems to develop a MPE with the tentative research are presented. It could be concluded that the MPEs are promising and worth researching deeply as power source for energy self-supplying robots.

Key words: Energy self-supplying robots, Monopropellant-powered engine, Power unit