Walking Molecule Now Carries Packages

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday January 22, 2007 @08:11AM from the delivery-in-20-minutes-or-it's-free dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Chemists from the University of California at Riverside designed two years ago a molecule which could move straight on a flat surface — a nano-walker if you wish. Now, they've found a way to force this walking molecule to carry packages. The nano-worker can now carry two CO2 molecules. And like yourself when you carry two heavy bags, this nano-worker is slower when it carries other molecules. The researchers think their discovery will lead to reliable ways of carrying molecules, an equivalent of the conveyor belts in today's factories."

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Re:Energy Source? by William_Lee · 2007-01-22 08:17 · Score: 5, Informative

What powers this thing?

From a previous article on the walker:

"Activated by heat or the nudge of a scanning tunneling microscope tip, DTA will pull up one foot, put down the other, and thus walk in a straight line across a flat surface. The planted foot not only supplies support but also keeps the body of the molecule from veering or stumbling off course."