World's smallest robotic tweezers – no splinter too tricky now
Now here’s a piece of tech you’ll never get your hands on. Not only are they incredibly specialist but the gripping arms of these robotic tweezers are only 3mm long. You’d probably accidentally crush them if you picked them up.
Of course, being robotic, you don’t have to touch them to get them to work, which is a good thing because these tweezers are designed to pick up items as small as individual cells without crushing them. They’re capable of exerting just 20 nanonewtons of pressure or,to put it another way, enough to support 2 millionths of a gram against the force of gravity.
Theses robot grippers were developed the University of Toronto and as well as being used in microscopy for the manipulation of tiny samples, they can also work in assessing the mechanical properties of the most delicate biological matter. They could help in tissue reconstruction and act as part of a nanotechnology tool belt. Marvelous what they can do these days.
New Scientist Tech (via Dvice)
Related posts: Energy making clothes
