![E161: What can you do with a microscopic robot? [SJK Audio Edition]](https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/710013/post/165642079/8eeaea374cf0c6576e2b9b86e9d4d3af.jpg)
E161: What can you do with a microscopic robot? [SJK Audio Edition]
SJK Audio Edition · Miranda Wilson
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Show Notes
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/what-can-you-do-with-a-microscopic-robot/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/Vl9UUr90ch0
Summary: Scientists built a microscopic robot that can interact with light in useful ways.
Abstract: Can you imagine a robot so small that you can’t even see it without a microscope? No, it’s not science fiction! Microscopic robots, or microbots, are tiny machines that are about the same size as a red blood cell. That’s only a few millionths of a meter across, about a tenth of a hair's diameter. Making a robot this small is hard. Controlling a microbot is especially challenging!
We developed a new type of microbot that can be controlled remotely using an electromagnet. The basic shape of the robot is simple. They have two sides and bend in the middle like an inchworm. They are covered in special, super tiny magnets. By adjusting a magnetic field, we can make microbots walk, swim, and fold themselves up like origami! Their tiny size even lets them change how light bounces off a surface. We think these microbots have a lot of potential!
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