What would it take to create a truly intelligent microbot, one that can operate independently? A roboticist describes the fascinating minutiae and the medical jobs these tiny machines could do for us.

Intelligent microrobots could one day be used in medicine

Do you take any inspiration from bacteria for your microrobots?

Absolutely. The way they navigate through their environment is incredible. They use this brilliant strategy I never would have thought of — at first, they kind of just randomly move around, but when they start sensing something good, like an amino acid or other nutrient, they will swim a little bit longer, which tends to move them gradually in that direction. It’s what we call a “biased random walk.” As an engineer, you start thinking, “Oh, that’s good.” They’re basically following a chemical gradient.