Researchers at North Carolina State University and Duke University have developed a way to assemble and pre-program tiny structures made from microscopic cubes -- “microbot origami” -- to change their shape when actuated by a magnetic field and then, using the magnetic energy from their environment, perform a variety of tasks -- including capturing and transporting single cells.
The findings, published today in Science Advances, pave the way for microbots and micro-origami assemblies that can serve as cell characterization tools, fluid micromixers, and components of artificial muscles and soft biomimetic devices.
