Leiden University researchers Professor Daniela Kraft and Mengshi Wei have developed microscopic robots that navigate autonomously without sensors, software, or external control. The robots are soft, chain-like structures 3D-printed at microscale, whose behavior emerges purely from their shape and interaction with the environment. When exposed to an electric field, they swim with life-like motion, automatically rerouting around obstacles and steering away from each other. The continuous feedback between shape and motion eliminates the need for microscopic electronics. Potential applications include targeted drug delivery, minimally invasive procedures, and diagnostics.
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