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Microrobot Developed at Dartmouth

Posted by samzenpus on from the everyone-likes-a-little-robot dept.

TheSync writes "Dartmouth researchers have developed the world's smallest untethered, controllable microrobot. The microrobot is much smaller and less massive than previous controllable microrobots. It measures only 60 by 250 micrometers. It receives power and control signals from the grid of electrodes it walks on, and moves by bending its body like a caterpillar. Not quite nanomachines, but we are getting closer!"

16 of 141 comments (clear)

  1. Units by TopSpin · · Score: 5, Funny

    about as wide as a strand of human hair, and half the length of the period at the end of this sentence. About 200 of these could march in a line across the top of a plain M&M.

    I wish I had the wit to ridicule this properly. Note the care taken to distinguish between plain or peanut M&Ms...

    --
    Lurking at the bottom of the gravity well, getting old
    1. Re:Units by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Peanut M&M's obviously lack the grid of electrodes needed by the devices, while plain M&Ms have enough for 200.

    2. Re:Units by Manchot · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think what we really want to know is how many of these it would take to cover a football field.

    3. Re:Units by forkazoo · · Score: 2, Funny
      I wish I had the wit to ridicule this properly. Note the care taken to distinguish between plain or peanut M&Ms...

      Come on now. If you had just stopped to think for a millifortnight, you would have realised that the obvious joke is to use the term "picovolkswagon" to describe the volume measure of the little bugger, pointing out the inutility of using plain M&M as a linear measure.
  2. Bring it on! by Nerdposeur · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hooray! Now we can have the world's tiniest caterpillar race!

  3. Micorobots by The+Bungi · · Score: 5, Funny
    Micorobots - they grow fungus, as opposed to microrobots. And they are smaller because they are... uh, less massive.

    Do the 'editors' ever actually read these submissions anymore?

  4. Not news by That's+Unpossible! · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dartmouth researchers have developed the world's smallest untethered, controllable microrobot

    Let me know when they develop uncontrollable microrobots.

    --
    Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
  5. Re:Used for surgery, as a contraceptive? by CyricZ · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, I no longer have to worry about such problems. My wife hit menopause fifteen years ago. So we can whoopdeedoo all day long. That is, if I can get my penis erect.

    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
  6. Re:Name Game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    What about "sugei kyuutoroboto?"

  7. Re:Aww.. by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 2, Funny

    cute little fella, isn't it?
     
    You say that now, but wait till millions of the lil' bastards take over your body and make you servile to a dark cyborg queen!

  8. These things are already running amok! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    A picture in the gallery shows one of these things covered in "human red blood cells." Clearly, they're already running amok!

          I have to go buy some duct tape...

  9. At least they can keep track of them... by jpellino · · Score: 4, Funny

    Bill McLellan, the guy who won Feynman's motor challenge would have won sooner but he kept losing his motor in the dust on his workbench.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  10. Re:Used for surgery, as a contraceptive? by flyingsquid · · Score: 2, Funny
    My wife hit menopause fifteen years ago. So we can whoopdeedoo all day long. That is, if I can get my penis erect.

    And the sad thing is, his sex life is still better than that of most slashdot readers.

  11. It's Alive! by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    They brought Microsoft Office Clippey alive!? aaaaaaaah!

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  12. Re:Used for surgery, as a contraceptive? by JohnsonWax · · Score: 2, Funny

    That is, if I can get my penis erect.

    It's nothing that a beowulf cluster of these couldn't solve.

  13. Mini Bender says... by packersfan · · Score: 2, Funny

    Bite my tiny metal ass!