Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Massachusetts Amherst built the first self-powered liquid robots that operate autonomously and continuously without electricity.
The researchers broke a barrier in designing a liquid robotic system that can operate autonomously using chemistry to control an object’s buoyancy. These liquid robots don’t require electrical energy since they get their power chemically from the surrounding media. The liquid robots are only 2 millimeters in diameter and can move chemicals back and forth while partially submerged in the solution. They can also perform multiple jobs simultaneously, depending on their formulation.
Within 10 years, we could have armies of miniature bots swimming in our blood, keeping us from getting sick through an automated chemical synthesis or drug delivery system for pharmaceuticals.
Is this the future of medicine? What other applications do you envisage? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.