Ultra-fine folding robot captures individual cells

This superfine modular structure can be redistributed into an infinite number of different shapes. Each cube surface covered with metal coating, so researchers can use the electromagnet near the microscope to the shape of the structure and the desire to control.

According to media reports, researchers from the University of North Carolina and Duke University recently released a video in which we see five superfine cubes moving freely under a microscopic mirror. And these little squares can come together, join together into a combination, and when they come closer to the cell, they can trap the cell inside through free closure. And when the cube robot surrounds the cell inside, it can prevent certain cells from moving alone.

The researchers call the polymer cube a "mini-folding robot," a superfine modular structure that can be redistributed into an infinite number of different shapes. Each cube is covered with a metal coating, so the researchers can use electromagnets near the microscope to control the shape and motion of the structure. The goal of the study was to simulate the way protein chains fold in nature, and just like these objects, the shape of the microbots determines how they fold in the future.

 In the short term, this tiny robot could become a very useful research tool. Observed through a microscope, objects interact with each other, and these modules can be used to make observations of molecules in unfamiliar materials. "Now it's a tool for studying materials at the microscopic level. It's usually very easy to test a large material, but it's much harder to test just one cell." Orlin Velev, author of the paper.

This research has the same characteristics as other folding robots from MIT before it, and the application size is smaller, which is more suitable for research in the micro field. Like these projects, these tiny robots also have potential medical applications, where doctors can use them to operate in small areas or isolate individual cells for testing.

The researchers also say that in the future, the technology could also be used to create biomedical devices such as artificial muscles and perform the necessary movements at the cellular level.