Ciliates can do amazing things: Being so tiny,the water in which they live is like thick honey to these microorganisms. In spite of this, however, and they are able to self-propel through water by the synchronized movement of thousands of extremely thin filaments on their outer skin,called cilia. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for clever Systems in Stuttgart are now moving robots that are barely perceptible to the human eye in a similar manner through liquids. For these microswimmers, the scientists are neither employing complex driving elements nor external forces such as magnetic fields. The team of scientists headed by Peer Fischer gain built a ciliate-inspired model using a fabric that combines the properties of liquid crystals and elastic rubbers, and rendering the body capable of self-propelling upon exposure to green light. Mini submarines navigating the human body and detecting and curing diseases may still be the stuff of science fiction,but applications for the new development in Stuttgart could see the light-powered materials assume the form of tiny medical assistants at the conclude of an endoscope.
Source: phys.org