Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

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!"

5 of 141 comments (clear)

  1. Used for surgery, as a contraceptive? by CyricZ · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This sort of a device sounds useful for performing certain surgeries, namely tubal ligation in females. Or perhaps even as an intrauterine contraceptive. Imagine one of these devices scooting around, looking for eggs to envelop and destroy. It may very well be far safer than using drugs.

    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    1. Re:Used for surgery, as a contraceptive? by realbadjuju · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Huh? [I think some one has girl parts on the brain.] How are microscopic robots good for macroscopic surgery? I don't have a copy of Gray's Anatomy in front of me, but aren't fallopian tubes ~1 cm in diameter? And as for selective destruction of cells how would these microbots: 1- Be powered 2- Recognise the correct cell type 3- Not be viewed as foreign material [which they are] and trigger an immune response IANADOABC [I am not a doctor or a biochemist]

  2. not "untethered" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    It receives power and control signals from the grid of electrodes it walks on

    ... therefore it is not "untethered".

  3. How many ? by karvind · · Score: 3, Interesting
    From the story: It receives power and control signals from the grid of electrodes it walks on, and moves by bending its body like a caterpillar.

    How many microrobots can I control on such a grid ? You definitely don't want to have individual wire to each electrode. So it would be some kind of array similar to in semiconductor memories. I wonder what kind of addressing scheme would be required to make sure that we can control a whole army on the grid. I hope the forthcoming paper will have some discussion about it.

  4. Mixing units by mcesh · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Their extremely tiny machine is 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. [...] Their paper describes a machine that measures 60 micrometers by 250 micrometers

    Look at all the different units! WoaHHs, PatEoTSs, even um! Engineering like this is why NASA runs into problems whenever they try to do a joint operation with the ESA.