Tag: Nanotechnology
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Shape-Shifting Microparticles: Tiny Active Particles Learn to Move and Adapt
Researchers Create Shape-Shifting Active Particles In a striking advance at the micro scale, scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have engineered tiny, microorganism-inspired particles that can change their shape and propel themselves. These “active particles” respond to electrical fields, enabling controlled movement and reconfiguration much like living organisms. The achievement marks a significant step…
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Shape-Shifting Microparticles Navigate Themselves
Shape-Shifting Microparticles: A Leap Toward Self-Propelled Microbots Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder are advancing a frontier in micro-robotics by creating tiny, microorganism-inspired particles that can change shape and move autonomously in response to electrical fields. These shape-shifting active particles behave like living organisms in miniature, offering a glimpse into a future where micro-scale…
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Shape-Shifting Active Particles: A New Era for Micro-Robotics
What are shape-shifting active particles? Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have unveiled tiny, microorganism-inspired particles that can actively change their shape and navigate their surroundings. These shape-shifting active particles respond to electrical fields, reversing or reshaping themselves in ways that mimic living organisms. The combination of adaptability and self-propulsion places these microscopic components…
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Scientists Built a Bizarre New Atom That Isn’t Supposed to Work — Here’s What It Means
What makes this artificial atom so unusual? In a landmark development, researchers have built an artificial atom that behaves in ways physicists didn’t expect. Traditional atomic models describe electrons orbiting a nucleus with well-defined energy levels. These models rely on electric and magnetic fields interacting with matter at a point-like reference. The new construct, however,…
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Science history: Richard Feynman’s fun lecture that sparked nanotech
Introduction: a small idea with world-changing potential On December 29, 1959, the physicist Richard P. Feynman gave a short, playful talk at the California Institute of Technology that would quietly ignite a new scientific frontier. Titled “Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” his lecture was less a formal seminar than a spark—an invitation to dream…
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Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Feynman’s Nanotech Birth
Introduction: A seminal moment in science history On December 29, 1959, at the California Institute of Technology, a young Richard Feynman delivered a lecture that would quietly redefine the boundaries of science. Titled “Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” the talk was ostensibly a playful exploration of what could be possible if scientists could manipulate…
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Plenty of room at the bottom: Feynman’s nanotechnology vision
Introduction: A spark from a December day On December 29, 1959, at the California Institute of Technology, a young and exuberant physicist named Richard Feynman delivered a talk that would quietly reshape the trajectory of science. Entitled “Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” the lecture was ostensibly about the limits of miniaturization in physical systems.…
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World’s Smallest Programmable Autonomous Robots Break New Ground in Micro-Robotics
Groundbreaking Micro-Scale Autonomy Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, in collaboration with the University of Michigan, have unveiled what may be the smallest fully programmable, autonomous robots in the world. These microscopic swimming machines are designed to sense their environment, make decisions, and act independently, all at a scale…
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These Cell-Sized Microrobots Cost Just a Penny Each
Overview: Tiny tech with enormous potential Researchers have developed microrobots the size of a single cell that cost roughly a penny to produce. These tiny machines, barely visible to the naked eye, operate in liquids and can be guided by light, magnetic fields, or chemical signals. Their diminutive size belies the sweeping possibilities they unlock…
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Flagella-Free Bacteria Movement: Sugar Currents and Gearboxes
What’s new in bacterial movement For decades, scientists have described bacterial motion as a simple story of tiny propellers—the flagella—that propel single cells through liquids. But fresh research from Arizona State University is reshaping that narrative. The studies uncover how some bacteria can move without their flagella, harnessing sugar-fueled currents and intricate molecular gear systems…