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Microrobotics

Swimmers by design

Scientists have created soft microrobots whose body shapes can be controlled by structured light, and which self-propel by means of travelling-wave body deformations similar to those exhibited by swimming protozoa.

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Figure 1: Light-powered swimmer.

Alejandro Posada/Max Planck Inst. Intelligent Systems

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Correspondence to Igor S. Aranson.

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Aranson, I. Swimmers by design. Nature 531, 312–313 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/531312a

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