Chinese scientists have developed a robotic system inspired by a colony of ants that can collectively achieve complex tasks like gathering large prey.
The study, published in the journal Science Robotics,described the nanorobots fleet that have demonstrated potential for in-bodydiagnosis and treatment at the cellular or even molecular level.
A single robot is two micrometre in diameter, 40 timessmaller than a hair, thus capable of running through blood capillaries, leadauthor Xie Hui, Professor at Harbin Institute of Technology in China, reportedXinhua.
The peanut-shaped iron microrobots can be energised by analternating magnetic field, offering high flexibility to collectively performmultiple tasks in a confined environment.
By tuning the frequency of the rotating magnetic field andits polarisation in three-dimensional space, the researchers obtained a seriesof well-controlled, fast and reversible transformations, Xie said.
Those formations include liquid, chain, vortex and ribbon. They can form narrow paths or channels to deliver heavy loads beyond a single robot’s capability.