Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Nano Sized Spider Robots

nanospider (1)

New York's Columbia University researchers have created nano-sized molecular protein (streptavidin) spider robots that can walk, change direction, and create other nano-products.

Reported originally in Nature, and covered in a Daily Mail UK article, these tiny nano-spiders, only four nanometres in diameter, could potentially be used to repair the human body such as finding and destroying cancerous cells.

nanospider

All kinds of inorganic and organic nano-devices have been made but these are quite unique in that they can move along a DNA molecule, much like a train can travel along a train track but the four (not eight) legged nano-spider attaches to elements of the DNA molecule, pulls itself forward and then un-attaches itself as it moves on to the next attachment point.

Via Daily Mail 

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