Tiny robots powered by light can hunt down and collect bacteria
Researchers have built microscopic, light-driven robots that can rapidly navigate through liquid, collect bacteria, and deposit them in chosen locations. These tiny “cleaners” could open new possibilities for manipulating cells and microbes with remarkable precision.
Tiny, light-powered robots as small as one micrometer in diameter have been developed to hunt down and collect bacteria, marking a significant step towards direct interaction with the microscopic world. This breakthrough from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg could revolutionize biological research by enabling precise control and movement of microscopic objects, including cells and bacteria.
The researchers achieved this by harnessing the recoil produced by individual photons, a force that, although minuscule, is sufficient to propel the microdrones due to their extremely low mass. These nanorobots contain plasmonic nanoantennas that absorb and emit light in specific directions, allowing the researchers to steer the robots by altering the polarization of the incoming light.
The simplified steering system and the use of nanoscale antenna wires enabled the creation of these minuscule robots, which can maneuver quickly and effectively scan and clean microbial environments. The ability to selectively capture, carry, and release bacteria demonstrates the robots' potential for use in microbiology, biomedical research, and the manipulation of materials at the microscopic scale.
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