Light-seeking nanorobot ‘could be used for medical treatment’

The world's first light-seeking synthetic nanorobot has been developed by a team from the University of Hong Kong.

Comparable in size to a blood cell, the nanorobots use light as a propelling force and are composed using silicon and titanium oxide, two common and affordable semiconductor materials.

Currently, the only method to remotely control nanorobots is to incorporate tiny magnetic elements and guide their motion via an external magnetic field, but light allows them to be controlled in a more precise and sophisticated manner.

Early tests have shown these nanorobots can be manipulated to spell out words using light control alone.

Theoretically, devices such as these could be injected into patients' bodies and used to help surgeons to remove tumour tissue, or else to enable more precise engineering of targeted medications.

Dr Jinyao Tang of the department of chemistry at the University of Hong Kong said: "Although the current nanorobot cannot be used for disease treatment yet, we are working on the next generation nanorobotic system which is more efficient and biocompatible."

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