Have you ever heard of nanobots? What are they?
Nanobots are tiny robots that would be used to treat different medical conditions. They would be injected into a patient’s bloodstream, where they would proceed to travel to their targets like the heart or kidneys for example. One thing, however, that needs figuring out is how to propel these devices. We may already be closer to a solution though! On October 13th,2001 a new type of nanoscale artificial muscle was announced, which works like the muscles in an elephant’s trunk. These could be used in nanobots, to move them along using a rotating flagellum. The artificial muscle is composed of a strand of tough, flexible yarn made from carbon nanotubes that have been twisted together. It is immersed in a liquid of electrolytes. When voltage is applied, the muscle draws in electrolytes, and as it does so it increases in volume, untwisting itself. This is how the yarn starts to rotate. When the voltage is changed, the yarn releases electrolytes and this causes the artificial muscle to twist itself back up, thus rotating in the opposite direction.
In a nanobot equipped with batteries and an electrical circuit the yarn motor attached to the flagellum could be used to make the tail wiggle in circles, pushing the nanobot through its liquid environment. The yarns have been reported to be inexpensive and easy to make.
The artificial muscles were developed through a collaboration between Australia’s University of Wollongong, The University of Texas at Dallas, The University of British Columbia, and Hanyang University in Korea
Sources: http://www.gizmag.com/artificial-muscle-for-nanobot-motors/20166/
