A team of nanotechnology experts at the University of California, San Diego, has used an advanced 3D printing system to build tiny robots that they have shaped like fish. Microfish, as they have been called, can move efficiently in liquid environments thanks to a chemical propulsion system that uses hydrogen peroxide.
The platinum nanoparticles that the robots have incorporated in their tail react with this compound, which gives them the necessary impulse to move. In addition, it is possible to direct their movements by means of a magnetic control system that stimulates the iron oxide nanoparticles that the microfish have attached to their heads.
In a study published in the journal Advanced Materials , the developers of these devices emphasize that their work could inspire the construction of a new generation of “smart” micro-robots, which could be used to eliminate polluting compounds, be equipped with sensors to collect data or deposit drugs. in specific areas of the body, which would improve many medical treatments .
To demonstrate this, the researchers, coordinated by professors Shaochen Chen and Joseph Wang, from the aforementioned American university, added to the microfish a polydiacetylene compound (PDA) capable of neutralizing a toxin similar to that found in the venom that some secrete. bees When the microfish came into contact with these molecules, the PDA particles emitted a reddish glow. That is, they can not only eliminate unwanted products, but also be used to detect where they are.
What’s more, the 3D printing system that has been used to make these devices can be adapted so that instead of looking like fish they have other shapes, such as a bird. The process allows hundreds of micro-robots to be built in a few seconds , each 120 micrometers long (a micrometer is equal to one millionth of a meter; a human hair is about 70 in diameter) and 30 thick.
Imagen: W. Zhu and J. Li, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
