According to an article published in Nature Communications, researchers have created nano-robots that move on demand and much faster than previous systems—with a reported decrease in response time from several minutes to less than a second. The discovery could one day pave the way for improved nano-robot manufacturing of objects such as drug-delivery devices.
The discovery was made by researchers at The Ohio State University, one of which had previously used a DNA origami technique to fold individual strands of DNA to make microscopic tools such as rotors and hinges. He teamed up with a second researcher at the university who had created microscopic magnetic “tweezers”, made from groups of magnetic particles that moved in sync, for nudging biological cells in a particular direction.
In the current study, the team built rods, rotors, and hinges using DNA origami. Stiff DNA levers were used to connect the nanoscopic compounds to miniature beads made with magnetic material. By adjusting a magnetic field, they were able to command the particles to swing components back and forth or rotate them. The instructions were executed in less than a second.
Movements such as spinning of the nano-rotor, opening of the nano-hinge, and more were executed within seconds rather than minutes.
"Real-time manipulation methods like our magnetic approach enable the possibility for scientists to interact with DNA nano-devices, and in turn interact with molecules and molecular systems that could be coupled to those nano-devices in real-time with direct visual feedback," said Carlos Castro, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.