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Light-powered 'robot' cleans while it crawls
Scientists in the UK and Netherlands have developed the first-ever device that can "walk" along like a caterpillar using a single, constant light source for power. The concept is clever: A polymer material is installed in a frame shorter than itself to create a bulge. By shining a concentrated, violet LED on the front of the bulge, it contracts, exposing the next part of the strip to the light. That creates a continuous, relatively powerful movement that could be used to "transport small items in hard-to-reach places or to keep the surfaces of solar cells clean," the team says.
