At the University of Hawaii, they learned how to make microscopic robots out of air bubbles.

Bubbles with a diameter of several hundred micrometers are controlled by an infrared laser. The laser heats the wall of the brine container on which the bubble is located, the heated fluid tends to flow into colder areas around the bubble and causes it to follow the laser beam. Lighting different points on the border of the bubble, you can make it move in any direction. The speed of the bubble depends on the intensity of the beam and can reach four millimeters per second.




Such “robots” are capable of performing the work of microscopic bulldozers, moving any objects, for example, living cells and collecting them into complex structures. If you use multiple lasers or a projector, you can manage multiple bubbles simultaneously. To create as many of these microrobots, a syringe with a thin needle filled with air is enough.


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Source: IEEE Spectrum