Scientists create self-propelling eco-friendly microrobots

Scientists have created an ultra miniature engine that is able to maneuver in acidic environments without any external energy source, such as the highly acidic human stomach. Dubbed ‘microrocket’, the tiny engines’ acid tolerance was tested in several types of acid and in acidified human blood serum. In such solutions, the microrocket spontaneously produced hydrogen gas bubbles and used them to drive itself forward at a speed of 100 times its 0.0004-inch length in approximately one second; a human traveling at a similar speed would have to run at around 400 miles per hour. Though other inventions of this kind exist, this microrocket is the first self-propelling motor to have its interior lined with zinc, not only making it more biocompatible but also making it an environmentally friendly device. The scientists involved foresee this invention as being highly applicable in the medical field as a targeted drug delivery or in the industrial field as a way to monitor industrial applications, such as semiconductor processing.