Microrobots Swarm the Seas, Capturing Microplastics and Bacteria [Video]

Researchers have developed microrobots capable of removing microplastics and bacteria from water, addressing the dual threat of pollution and disease spread in aquatic environments.

When old food packaging, discarded children’s toys, and other mismanaged plastic waste break down into microplastics, they become even harder to clean up from oceans and waterways. These tiny bits of plastic also attract bacteria, including those that cause disease. In a study in ACS Nano, researchers describe swarms of microscale robots (microrobots) that captured bits of plastic and bacteria from water. Afterward, the bots were decontaminated and reused. Watch a video of them swarming:

Reporting in ACS Nano, researchers made tiny magnetic beads that swarm through contaminated water picking up contaminants like microplastics and bacteria.

The size of microplastics, which measure 5 millimeters or less, adds another dimension to the plastic pollution problem because animals can eat them, potentially being harmed or passing the particles into …