The smallest robot in the world: how a device smaller than a grain of salt works.

According to ТСН: Engineers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan have developed the world's smallest programmable robot, which is so tiny that it is almost invisible to the naked eye. Despite its microscopic size, this device can move independently, execute various commands, and transmit important information for research.

Sizes and functions of the microscopic robot

The robot measures 200 by 300 micrometers and has a thickness of only 50 micrometers, making it smaller than a grain of salt. The device is equipped with a computer processor, memory, temperature sensors, and solar cells that produce energy at a level of only 100 nanowatts.

The problem of movement

The main challenge for the inventors was creating a mechanism for the robot's movement through the resistance of the environment. Due to its tiny size, even moving in water would resemble a person trying to walk through thick tar.

Scientists solved this problem by creating an electric field that forms a directed flow of molecules around the robot, allowing it to move through the liquid. This idea is reminiscent of how a person can comfortably move in the current of a river.

Autonomy and connection with the environment

Despite its miniature size, the device can receive commands and perform autonomous actions such as measuring the ambient temperature. Data transmission occurs through a special 'dance' that resembles the complex communication of honeybees.

The instrument can operate for several months, extracting energy from external LEDs through its miniature solar panels.

Synchronization and the future of technology

Furthermore, microbots can interact with each other, forming complex moving groups similar to schools of fish or swarms of insects.

As built-in memory volumes increase and new sensors are added, these devices could become 'intelligent guardians' of health within the human body, monitoring cell conditions or even delivering medications to specific areas of the body.

This new technology has immense potential and could revolutionize the way we perceive microbots in medicine and science. With their unique capabilities, such devices could provide new solutions for health and research, opening new horizons in microbiology and bioengineering.