Scientists develop a robot smaller than a needle puncture capable of opening clogged arteries!
Scientists from Northwestern University in the United States of America have developed a robot smaller than a flea, making it the smallest remote-controlled mobile robot.
And the little robot takes the shape of a crab. Although similar in size to a flea, it is much slower than it is, according to Professor Yonggang Huang, who led theoretical work on the project.
The robot has high flexibility, and it can walk, bend, twist, turn and jump. Scientists from Northwestern University said: This robot can signal the beginning of a new era of precision robotics.
The robot is not powered by miniature devices and electronics, but rather by a material that transforms when heated. The researchers used a scanned laser beam to quickly heat the robot at various locations across its body to make that material transform and effectively force the robot to move.
One trick the researchers used was to cover the robot with a thin layer of glass that forces that part of the robot's structure back into shape after it cools.
Professor John Rogers, a bioelectronics pioneer who led the experimental work said: "Because these robots are so small, the rate of cooling is very fast. In fact, reducing the sizes of these robots allows them to operate faster."
Northwestern University said: "Although the research is exploratory at this point, the researchers believe their technology may bring the field closer to creating small-scale robots that can perform practical tasks within very narrow spaces."
Professor Rogers explained the tasks this type of robot could perform, saying: “You might imagine microbots as agents to repair or assemble structures or small machines in industry or as surgical assistants to open blocked arteries, stop internal bleeding or eliminate cancerous tumors. All this with minimally invasive procedures.
Although the research team created millimeter-sized robots that resembled cutworms, crickets, and beetles, they eventually settled on the shape of a crab.
Professor Rogers said: "We can build animated robots of almost any size or shape in 3D...but the students were inspired and thrilled by the baby crab's side-crawling motions...it was a creative whim."
https://www.arageek.com/news/meet-the-smallest-ever-remote-controlled-walking-robot?fbclid=IwAR3aXij0zGwHR50HG0kcUa0QOCahjkXl45jF_onCjikvflX6B1FKinp86xg