Light powered micromotors achieve flight in open air

Researchers at Concordia University have built the first micromotors able to move freely through the air using only light as their source of power. This advance marks a major shift for the field of microrobotics, opening prospects for airborne devices at microscopic scale.

Each micromotor is shaped like pollen and measures only 12 microns wide - about a tenth the width of a human hair. These particles are manufactured from zinc oxide and are coated with an ultra-thin layer of gold. The gold layer is essential, as it absorbs heat from directed near infrared light.

When the light beam is targeted at the micromotors, the gold rapidly heats, warming the surrounding air. This temperature differential generates subtle convection currents un

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