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Diodes Could Drive Swimming Micro-Robots

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the robot-parade dept.

finisterre writes "Diodes can be made to 'swim' through salt water by hitting them with an alternating electric field. The applied field induces a current that sets up a field between the diode's electrical contacts and creates a propulsive force. The abstract of the paper in Nature Materials is freely available. New Scientist has videos of the swimming diodes in action."

5 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. Uhhh by malkir · · Score: 3, Funny

    I for one welcome our robotic sperm overlords.

  2. Reading this before properly waking up... by ricky-road-flats · · Score: 4, Funny
    ... I read dildoes instead of diodes, and I can't even think of a joke for it.

    That's what I get for hitting Slashdot before the first morning coffee. Once I have that buzz I might be able to think of a punchline.

    1. Re:Reading this before properly waking up... by MightyYar · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You need to re-read that article. It simply states that coffee drinkers are no more alert than non-coffee drinkers; it does not say that regular coffee drinkers are just as alert before and after their first cup of coffee. In fact, it explains why regular coffee drinkers need the morning cup to come back up to a baseline of normal alertness.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  3. leave your taser at home by User+956 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Diodes can be made to 'swim' through salt water by hitting them with an alternating electric field.

    And yet for some reason this same method doesn't work so well on people.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    1. Re:leave your taser at home by Shemmie · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's not true. I connected my local swimming pool to the mains voltage to test the theory - after that, they all floated.