Microscopic Robots That Sense, Think, Act, and Compute

Here we show autonomous decision making in microscopic robots by incorporating computation, sensing, memory, and locomotion. Comparable in size to a single-celled paramecium, each microrobot is digitally reprogrammed to autonomously execute arbitrary user-defined programs and change behavior in response to environmental changes. As an example of programmed behavior, we explore thermotaxis: using sensor feedback to track temperature gradients by reconfiguring actuator states. The microrobots operate with standard microscopes and are reprogrammed with a python-based raspberry pi interface. Fabricated massively in parallel, we can create approximately 100 robots per $1. These robots offer a unique combination of versatility, low-cost, ease of use, and digital logic while being robust enough to undergo hours of testing without degrading. This work helps clear the way for the widespread adoption of robots too small to see with the naked eye.