14 DAY TRIAL // Nanobots are still a dream, but that doesn't mean that scientists aren't trying to actually make them reality.
Maybe things will never get so small, but microscopic bots could have finally been made possible.
Basically, researchers from Harvard and the University of Illinois have invented a 3D printed battery that is smaller than a grain of sand, yet has power density and areal energy on par with cellphone battery.
Sure, the size means that the battery doesn't have even a fraction of the charge, but it's not like it needs it. Super-small bots will run on very little energy after all.
A custom 3D printer was used to make the battery, with a 1mm wide nozzle that deposited two separate lithium metal oxide pastes into comb-like shapes.
The pastes then hardened into the anode and cathode.
After that, it was a simple matter of adding an electrolyte and voila! A cell with width thinner than a hair's width was made.