nanorobots
NAY-no-row-baats
Definition
Microscopic devices designed for precise tasks at the scale of nanometers, in this article referring to either synthetic machines or engineered biological entities like bacteria used for environmental cleanup.
Etymology
The term is a compound of 'nano-', from the Greek 'nanos' meaning dwarf, and 'robot', derived from the Czech word 'robota' meaning forced labor or drudgery, introduced in the 1920 play 'R.U.R.' by Karel Čapek.
In the news
The article discusses how researchers are using biological 'biobots' as a form of nanorobots to navigate water and trap tiny plastic particles. This is a significant focus because traditional filtration methods are often ineffective at such a small scale.
Czech Scientists Create Living Microrobot Swarms That Trap Microplastics
Read the full article ↗Intelligent Living