Microbotics

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/microbotics

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the characteristic dimension?Less than 1 millimeter
2. What is the enabling technologies?Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), microfluidics, advanced materials science
3. What are microbots?Microbots are tiny robots that are smaller than one millimeter. They are made with special materials and tiny parts so they can fit into very small spaces.
4. How do microbots move?Microbots can move using tiny propellers, fins, or by shaking their surface. They can also be pushed by magnets, sound waves, or electric fields.

Microbotics: The interdisciplinary field dedicated to the design, fabrication, and application of robots operating at microscopic scales, typically below one millimeter.
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS): A fabrication technology that integrates mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate, crucial for microbot construction.
Actuation: The process by which a robot's components generate motion, often achieved through micro-motors, magnetic fields, or acoustic waves in microbotics.