World's first directly light driven walking device

[Gordon Dry]

Scientists have developed a polymer film with liquid crystals, that can undulate under the influence of light. They clamped a strip of this material in a rectangular frame, and it goes for a walk all on its own when illuminated. This research, performed by scientists of Eindhoven University of Technology and Kent State University, was published in Nature on 29 June 2017 (DOI 10.1038/nature22987). The video runs on real speed, the device is 2 centimeters long. Video: Bart van Overbeeke. More info: https://www.tue.nl/en/university/news-and-press/news/28-06-2017-world-first-new-polymer-goes-for-a-walk-when-illuminated/

[Red Iron Crown]

Moved over to Science & Spaceflight, seems a better place to discuss this.

[Kerbart]

Wow. I came over here, expecting to claim "solar power isn't direct, it's converting into electricity first." I was wrong.

Then I thought, ok, some nanobot, and the video is sped up 1,000× What's the point? I was wrong again!

At least I can claim it's more "crawling" than "walking"

Very impressive.

Edited July 1, 2017 by Kerbart

[Scotius]

Yay! A man-made slug!

[YNM]

I thought this has been around for quite some time now ? Or have they figured out how to do it with only one unchanged light source ?

[NSEP]

Very interesting.

Now use it to move my spaceship please.

[cubinator]

4 hours ago, NSEP said:

Very interesting.

Now use it to move my spaceship please.

If by "move" you mean wiggle then sure. I vote we call the new material "krakenite"?

Edited July 3, 2017 by cubinator

[NSEP]

Just now, cubinator said:

If by "move" you mean wiggle then sure.

Dancing spacecraft? Yeah sure why not!

 

[Nuke]

meh, thats nothing

 

 

[cubinator]

How about using this stuff to make a plane propelled by flapping? Or a robot fish?

[kerbiloid]

Or a veinbot. Maybe, arteriobot, too. It will screw through the arterial sewers and crash the trash.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laparoscopy

 

Edited July 5, 2017 by kerbiloid