Making a microscopic swarm move through a maze

Read the paper: Ultra-extensible ribbon-like magnetic microswarm

A microscopic swarm, just a few millimetres in length, can move through a maze with a just few clicks of a mouse. The swarm is formed from millions of magnetic nanoparticles caught in a rapidly oscillating magnetic field. Researchers in China have been testing the new technology by altering the magnetic field to move the swarm around various obstacles.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-06120-x

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Subjects

• Technology
• Nanoparticles

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