A recent study published in Nature Communications presents a new microrobotic platform designed to improve the precision and versatility of nanoparticle manipulation using light. Led by Jin Qin and colleagues, the research addresses limitations in traditional optical methods and introduces a microrobot powered by plasmonic nanomotors.
Background: Limitations of Traditional Techniques
Manipulating nanoparticles at the nanoscale is a persistent challenge. Conventional optical tweezers work well for microscale objects but face limitations with nanoparticles due to diffraction limits and limited control over particle orientation. Efforts to induce particle rotation or enhance control often involve trade-offs, such as bulky attachments or complex multi-trap configurations, which restrict flexibility and accuracy.
To overcome these constraints, the authors developed a light-driven microrobotic system—essentially a microdrone that can move with multiple degrees of freedom and manipulate nanoparticles with enhanced precision. This platform aims to provide greater agility and fine-tuned control for applications requiring nanoscale manipulation.
The Current Study
The microrobots were constructed using a rigid, transparent disk-shaped body made from hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ), measuring approximately 3.5 μm in diameter and 150 nm in height, with a total weight of around 3.8 pg. Several plasmonic antennas were integrated into the structure to serve as independent motors.
At the core of the manipulation system is a plasmonic nano-tweezer—a gold cross-antenna designed and fabricated using focused helium ion beam milling. This structure generates a localized near-field hot spot that enables the trapping of nanoparticles. The tweezer was embedded directly onto the microrobot in a single fabrication step, with a 1 μm gap maintained between the tweezer and motors to avoid interference.
For experimental validation, a static tweezer setup was used. It was mounted on a coverslip inside a water cell containing nanodiamonds (average diameter of 70 nm). A 980 nm infrared laser was used to create an optical trap, while a 532 nm green laser excited the nanodiamonds’ color centers for fluorescence-based tracking.
The microrobots were released into solution by etching away the indium tin oxide substrate using hydrochloric acid. Once free-floating in water, the infrared laser induced a gentle push from the substrate, enabling the trapping of nanodiamonds without unwanted adhesion, which can result from surface charge effects.
All trapping and manipulation events were recorded using a high-numerical-aperture oil-immersion objective for detailed imaging of microrobot behavior.
Results and Discussion: Performance of the Microrobot Platform
The researchers successfully demonstrated the microrobot’s ability to trap, transport, and release nanoparticles with high precision. Experimental sequences showed the microrobots performing both spiral and linear motion patterns while securely holding nanodiamonds.
Stable trapping was achieved through the interaction of optical gradient forces and plasmonically enhanced fields, confirming the effectiveness of the integrated tweezer design.
The system also exhibited reliable control over dynamic sequences, something not possible with many existing manipulation tools. The applications discussed include targeted drug delivery, quantum sensing, and other nanotech workflows that require cargo transport at the nanoscale.
The authors do acknowledge some limitations. For instance, heat-induced thermophoresis can reduce trapping efficiency, and particles may detach during rapid movement. However, they suggest that implementing an active feedback system could help counteract Brownian motion and improve positional accuracy during manipulation.
With further refinement, this platform could support a wider range of applications in areas like targeted cargo delivery, quantum sensing, and precision nanoscale engineering.
Journal Reference
Qin J., et al. (2025). Light-driven plasmonic microrobot for nanoparticle manipulation. Nature Communications 16, 2570. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57871-x, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57871-x
News
Novel Investment Paradigms for Regenerative Healthcare Ecosystems
Introduction The transition toward regenerative healthcare ecosystems—anchored in wellness optimization, disease prevention, eradication strategies, and healthy longevity—necessitates a structural reconfiguration of capital architectures, governance models, and incentive design. Regenerative healthcare, by definition, transcends episodic [...]
What If Consciousness Exists Beyond Your Brain
Scientists still don’t know how consciousness emerges from the brain. New ideas suggest it may not emerge at all, but instead be a basic feature of reality. Is consciousness produced by the brain, or [...]
Scientists Discover Way To Treat Lung Cancer and Its Deadly Side Effect Together
A new approach using lipid nanoparticles to deliver genetic material is showing promise in tackling two major challenges in lung cancer at once.Researchers at Oregon State University have designed a new way to tackle two of [...]
Saunas Activate Your Immune System
A brief sauna session may quietly mobilize the immune system. A sauna session may do more than raise your heart rate and body temperature. A new study from Finland found that it also briefly [...]
Why music from your youth still has such an intense effect years later: A psychological perspective
You're driving, and suddenly a familiar song fills the air. Before you even know it, a wave of emotions comes over you – not just memories, but a deep, almost physical feeling. This powerful [...]
AI to antibody in days: breaking the wet lab bottleneck via high-throughput integration
The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in drug design has fundamentally shifted from a speculative tool to a central pillar of pharmaceutical research and development (R&D). Sino Biological plays a critical role in this [...]
Regenerative Healthcare by Design: Engineering Health-Centric Buildings and Urban Ecosystems
Introduction The next evolution of healthcare will not be confined to hospitals, clinics, or episodic interventions—it will be embedded into the infrastructure of everyday life. Regenerative health ecosystems require a systemic re-architecture of how [...]
Scientists Warn: Humanity Has Pushed the Planet Past Its Limits
Human population and consumption have surpassed Earth’s limits, increasing risks to climate and global stability. The Earth is already operating beyond its capacity to sustainably support the global population, according to new research highlighting [...]
Breakthrough Study Reveals Why Damaged Nerves Struggle To Heal
A newly identified molecular mechanism reveals how neurons weigh survival against repair after injury. Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a molecular switch in neurons that limits the regrowth of [...]
Popular Vitamin B3 Supplements May Help Cancer Cells Survive, Scientists Warn
A new study raises important questions about widely used NAD+ supplements, suggesting that compounds often taken to boost energy and support healthy aging may have unintended consequences in cancer treatment. Millions of Americans take [...]
Scientists Discover Cancer Tumors Are “Addicted” to This Common Antioxidant
Cancer cells may be exploiting a common antioxidant as fuel, revealing a potential weakness that future therapies could target. Cancer cells may be tapping into an unexpected energy source: an antioxidant long associated with [...]
Nanotube injector transfers cytoplasmic contents and organelles between living cells safely
Cells are not isolated units; they continuously exchange proteins, genetic material, and even entire organelles with their neighbors. Intercellular transfer influences how tissues develop, respond to stress, and repair damage. In certain cancers, for [...]
CEO of America’s largest public hospital system is ready to replace radiologists with AI
The chief executive of America’s largest public hospital system says he is prepared to start replacing radiologists with artificial intelligence in some circumstances, once the regulatory landscape catches up. Mitchell H. Katz, MD, president [...]
Our books now available worldwide!
Online Sellers other than Amazon, Routledge, and IOPP Indigo Global Health Care Equivalency in the Age of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine and Artifcial Intelligence Global Health Care Equivalency In The Age Of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine And Artificial [...]
Study finds higher heart disease risk in long COVID patients
People with long COVID are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in eClinicalMedicine. The results show that the risk of conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias [...]
The Corona variant Cicada is here – we know that
Online and on social media, reports are piling up about a new Sars-Cov-2 variant that is currently on the rise: BA.3.2, also known as Cicada. That's what it's all about: The Omicron variant BA.3.2, [...]
