The reality of being able to inject microscopic robots into the bloodstream that are capable of performing meaningful clinical tasks is now a little bit closer. Researchers are MIT have unveiled the smallest robots to have ever been built capable of sensing their environment. These tiny constructs have not only sensors, but key computing components, including memory and processing, to make these robots actually do something with the data that they can gather.

The researchers built their micro-robots by “grafting” tiny, pre-packaged electronic assemblies onto colloidal particles. Because colloids particles are easily pushed around by the liquid environment, they serve as good platforms to go sailing in within the bloodstream and other fluid biological media.

A weak electromagnetic field is all that’s necessary to power the on-board electronics, which is pretty easy and safe to do with human patients, should this technology make it into hospitals.

Study in Nature Nanotechnology: Colloidal nanoelectronic state machines based on 2D materials for aerosolizable electronics…

Via: MIT…

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