CMU Nanobots Large Enough To Be Seen
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Friday, 13 of June , 2008 at 12:01 am
Most of the time, it’s a bit frustrating to write about nanobots. We have to talk about them in the context of teeny tiny little scales that you can’t really identify with… 250 microns long? What does that even MEAN? CMU’s nanobots are barely, just barely, large enough to identify with. They’re about the size of a grain of sand, and you can see one in action alongside a penny:
So yeah, that’s still pretty nano, but I at least feel like I have some conception of the bot’s actual size rather than having to rely on an abstract measurement. These little guys are controlled via an external magnetic field, and by rocking back and forth very quickly, they can reach a top speed of 13 mm (60 body lengths) per second. They’re capable of movement on surfaces that are generally smooth and non-stick, and will work equally well underwater. Although most people would call these things micro-robots, all they really are are solid little magnets being pushed around by other magnets… But that’s okay, we’ll let it slide, ’cause they’re little and cute and all.
[ CMU Nanorobotics Lab ] VIA [ Communist Robot ]
Category: Nano
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Comment by Drucifer
Made Friday, 13 of June , 2008 at 8:55 am
10 Microns = Diameter of an average Human Hair. This “nanobot” would roughly be 25 times that size. Yes, I was a Mathelete!