An ultrafine robot that senses its surroundings and moves like a living organism has been created. It is expected to mark a new turning point in medicine and environmental fields.
A research team at the University of North Carolina said on the 20th that it developed a flower-shaped ultrafine robot that combines the genetic material deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) with inorganic matter and changes shape depending on surrounding conditions, according to the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
The starting point of the research was nature. The team observed periodic patterns shown in nature—petals opening and closing, corals moving like waves with their tentacles, and the way living tissues grow—and sought to reproduce them with artificial materials.
The robot created this time is composed of a special crystal that combines DNA and inorganic matter. The team named this robot "DNA flower." As the name suggests, the DNA flower can fold or unfold within seconds. The secret lies in the arrangement of DNA inside the flower.
When the surrounding environment becomes acidic, part of the DNA structure folds tightly and the petals close, and when acidity returns to normal, it loosens and the flower opens. Through this simple motion, it can regulate chemical reactions or carry and release specific molecules. It can also interact with cells or tissues.
Ronit Freeman, a University of North Carolina professor, said, "Everyone dreams of a smart drug capsule that automatically releases medication when disease occurs and stops when recovery comes," adding, "In theory, the shape-shifting material we developed this time can implement such a function."
The team projected that the DNA flower could be advanced into a form that can be inserted into or swallowed by the human body for use in drug delivery or tissue sampling. For example, when it detects the acidic environment of a tumor, the DNA flower releases medication, and when the tumor disappears, it stops operating.
This technology can be used to address environmental problems beyond medicine. It could turn into a cleaning robot that enters polluted water, detects contaminants, releases cleaning agents on its own, and then naturally decomposes after completing its mission. In addition, by leveraging DNA's high information storage capacity, the team suggested the possibility of developing an ultrahigh-density storage device that can store up to 2 terabytes (GB; 1 GB is 1 billion bytes) of data in a single teaspoon of solution.
Although this research is still in its early stages, it is evaluated as an important first step in breaking down the boundary between life and machines. Freeman added, "We sought to translate the sophisticated structures and motions shown by nature into technology," and "our goal is to one day create materials that can think, move, and adapt on their own."
References
Nature Nanotechnology (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-025-02026-8