Monday, 19th September 2005 (4449 views)

Researchers at Dartmouth College have used gold electrodes to power the world's smallest untethered, controllable robot.

The robot is as wide as a strand of hair and can move at a speed of 200 micrometres a second across a special plate made of gold electrodes.

Alternating positive and negative gold electrodes in the electronic plate enable the robot to move. The plate and robot attract and then repel each other, causing the robot to stretch and relax and consequently move, reports the New Scientist.

According to Bruce Donald, one of the researchers, controllable means that "you can steer it anywhere on a flat surface, and drive it wherever you want to go".

In the future, micro-electromechanical systems, or MEMS, could be used to ensure information security, explore hazardous environments or be used in biotechnology.

The Dartmouth researchers are due to present their research at the upcoming 12th International Symposium of Robotics Research in October in San Francisco.

 

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