I used to have the hots for a micromanipulator — a bulky block of clamps with a joystick that would scale down your movements from millimeter movements to tiny micrometer twitches for working at the single cell level. Now, though, I want these itty bitty microbots that you can suck up in a syringe and inject whereever you want, and command them to capture cells and move them wherever. Watch the video, and look at this little microbot that can grab single cells.
Single-cell collection with optically actuated microstructure.
These are not at all autonomous. An operator manipulates them using laser tweezers (that’s what the ball-shaped blobs on prongs are for — you focus the laser on those like they’re little handles and control the gadget, like it’s on strings). The microbots look like they’re cheap and easy to make, too, using known techniques in microlithography used to make computer chips.
Unfortunately, what isn’t cheap is the laser-equipped microscope and the control electronics. I could probably buy a couple of Tesla Cybertrucks for the price of that gear.
This is how we’ll get the apocalyptic gray goo.
Why would you want to buy a Cybertruck? Microbots are actually useful.
it’s nice to know the way to stop the gray goo of microbots is with a cat toy!
“I could probably buy a couple of Tesla Cybertrucks for the price of that gear.” Nah! You couldn’t do that. Not because Cyberjunk would be more expensive than the microbots, but because you couldn’t stand enriching the Muskrat.
The toys look cool, though, not that I have any use for them, but they’re still cool.
Now watch the anti-vaxxers lose their minds. They already think that I, and other nurses, are injecting people with vaccines laced with “nanobots” that are supposedly controlled by 5G towers and a blood-drinking, Deep State cabal. As cool as this tech is, it’s definitely going to add fuel to their conspiracy theories.
Even if you can’t think of an immediate use for them you must get it to maintain that you are a top flight lab ready to tackle any problem other than budget that comes into your lab.