The world's first molecular robot was created by Scientists at the University of Manchester. These tiny robots being a millionth of a millimeter in size, can be programmed to build molecules and move molecular cargo with a very small robotic arm.
An individual robot is made up of 150 carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen atoms (a billion billion of these robots is only a few grains of salt). They function by carrying out chemical reactions in solutions which can programmed by scientists to perform basic tasks. Professor Leigh, who was the lead of the research, stated that the robots are put together using chemistry.
To clarify, Leigh made the comparison that molecular robots are similar to robotic pieces working together on an assembly line to build a car. One robot can be set to orient a component of a molecule and attach additional pieces to 'build' a product. It is the same process used by scientists to make medicines and plastics from chemical components. Once built, they can be controlled by adding chemical inputs, telling the robot what to do. While building and operating these nano-robots is extremely complex, the techniques used are based on simple chemical processes. The figure above shows deprotection, iminium activation, and enamine activation as steps in generating the final product.
Right now, it uncertain where this new technology will head. Scientist's plans for the future include use for medical purposes, advanced manufacturing processes, and molecular 'factories' and assembly lines. Professor Leigh believes this is only the beginning and that within 10 to 20 years, molecular robots will be able to build molecules and materials in 'molecular factories.' Molecular robots offer the potential benefits of reducing demand for materials, accelerating and improving drug recovery, dramatically reducing power requirements, and rapidly increasing the miniaturization of other products. These varied applications could lead to new, exciting discoveries.
No comments:
Post a Comment