Physical Intelligence News
17 March 2025 | Stuttgart

Magnetic microalgae on a mission to become robots

Thumb ticker xxl magnetic microswimmer
Animation of an alga covered in magnetic material

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems developed a single-cell green microalgae coated with magnetic material. This miniature robot was put to the test: would the microalgae with its magnetic coating be able to swim through narrow spaces and, additionally, in a viscous fluid that mimics those found in the human body? Would the tiny robot be able to fight its way through these difficult conditions? The team's research has now been published in the journal Matter.

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