a 1mm robot
the world's smallest robot đ¤
welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! âď¸ iâm harsehaj â always up to something in social good x tech. scroll to the end for a daily roundup of unique opportunities. :)
a 1mm robot đ¤
picture a singular grain of salt. thereâs no shot it could hold a full propulsion system and solar cells, right?
wrong. a few scientists at umich and upenn accomplished exactly that a few days ago. they successfully built a microrobot measuring less than 1 mm across (~200-300 Îźm x ~50 Îźm) that âsenses, thinks, and acts.â
instead of being tied to power or controlled externally, it carries its own light-powered energy source (microscopic solar cells). the light is converted into electrical energy that drives a simple microprocessor, temperature/environmental sensors, and propulsion electrodes.
this has been a long-term goal in robotics because of the implications of being able to reproduce functionality at the physical scale where individual cells operate: microns. in doing so, the possibilities for precision and personalized medicine broaden significantly.
the onboard computer (~1/1000th the speed of a laptop processor btw) doesnât run deep neural nets, but it is indeed capable of interpreting sensor input and executing simple rule-based programs. it uses temperature or local signals it detects to decide what to do next (ex. swim in a direction that meets some checkbox), and thatâs exactly what autonomy is in the robotics sense.
it responded to environmental cues without remote control!
at this scale, physically propelling itself in liquid is challenging because the viscous forces dominate inertia. the research team circumvented this by using platinum electrodes embedded in the body. when energized, the electrodes created local ionic flows in the fluid that pushed the robot forward. itâs not really a traditional motor, but it functions as effective locomotion at the micrometer scale.
okay, but isnât communication the most important puzzle piece of this microrobotics problem? cleverly, the researchers took inspiration from honeybeesâ waggle dance, which are patterns of movement that are used to transmit simple messages back and forth. they essentially designed a form of communication with external controllers (not yet peer-to-peer) using motion cues. itâs smart because electromagnetic communication at these tiny scales and in fluids is extremely power-intensive and difficult.
still, as cool as this demonstration of core capability is, itâs not yet a clinical tool, and wonât be for a while. the current design needs light for power, which limits how it could work inside the body. so, practical applications, especially in medicine (like targeted drug delivery or cellular diagnostics inside a human body), are projected a decade out or more as engineers solve power, communication, materials, and safety challenges.
but itâs pretty damn cool, isnât it?
todayâs drops đď¸
check out this hacker camp happening in the uk in july
biometrics internship @ astrazeneca
this retreat for creatives kicks off in a month in austria
i also write a quarterly update focused on my work and project updates if youâd like to check that out here.
want to post an opportunity on my blog? shoot me a line at harsehajx@gmail.com.
teehee,
harsehaj