Cornell researchers have built a microscopic robotic array that senses temperature and coordinates tiny paddles to move liquid, a laboratory step toward machines that could collectively change their surroundings.
The work combines sensing, electronic communication and fluid pumping in one system. Researchers say it is the first demonstration of microscopic robots responding together to alter their physical environment, but proposed medical and agricultural uses remain possibilities for future designs, not demonstrated applications.
The study, “Microscopic Robots that Sense and Reshape Their Environment,” was published Sept. 23 in Nature Electronics. Postdoctoral researcher Jinsong Zhang and former Cornell doctoral student Wei Wang are co-first and corresponding authors, and physics professor Itai Cohen is a corresponding author.
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