Scientists in Germany have developed nanorobots small enough to work in the microbial world, according to ScienceDaily. The devices are about 50 times smaller than the width of a human hair and are designed to directly interact with objects that are too small to handle by hand.
The robots are intended for use with biological material in water, including individual cells and bacteria. In laboratory tests, the machines were able to collect bacteria, transport them and release them at selected locations.
At Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Professor Bert Hecht and his team built the robots to move using the recoil from individual photons. The devices use plasmonic nanoantennas that absorb light of a certain color and polarization, then send it out in a way that produces a tiny pushing force.
For the latest version, the researchers made the robots smaller than one micrometer and simplified the steering system. By adjusting the polarization of the light, they can change the direction the nanorobot faces while photon recoil continues to drive it forward.
The team says the robots can make quick 90-degree turns, scan an area efficiently, and stay maneuverable even while carrying larger bacterial clusters. According to the researchers, the work points to possible future uses in microbiology, biomedical research and precise microscopic material handling.
