A robot smaller than a grain of salt: Capable of sensing, thinking, and acting.

A robot smaller than a grain of salt.

A robot smaller than a grain of salt: Capable of sensing, thinking, and acting.

Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan have created a robot smaller than a millimeter, equipped with a computer, a motor, and its own sensors. While nanotechnology is still a distant future, this robot, smaller than a grain of salt, represents a revolutionary step toward that goal, according to The Washington Post.

"This is the first tiny robot that can sense, think, and act," said Mark Miskin, an assistant professor of electrical and systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the study's authors. Although the device is still in the experimental stage, co-author David Blau from the University of Michigan said, "I wouldn't be surprised if we have real-world applications for these types of robots within 10 years."

How Does It Work?

* The robot resembles a microchip and is made of similar materials such as silicon, platinum, and titanium.

* The robot is protected by a layer of glass to enable it to operate in liquids.

* It uses solar cells to power its integrated computer and propulsion system.

* The robot moves by swimming, using a pair of electrodes to create a current in the surrounding water molecules.

* Its computer is much slower than modern laptops, but powerful enough to respond to changes in its environment, such as temperature.

"At this scale, the robot's size and power budget are comparable to many single-celled microorganisms," the team wrote in the study.

One of the robot's key features is its ability to communicate with human operators. "We can send it messages telling it what we want it to do, and it can send us messages telling us what it has seen and done," Miskin explained. According to the American newspaper, the next major challenge is establishing communication between the microrobots themselves.