Researchers in Switzerland have developed a novel form of propulsion for microrobots that mimics the way bacteria zip about using corkscrew-like appendages called flagella. Tests show that the tiny rotating nanocoils–just 27 nanometers thick and 40 micrometers long–are capable of spinning at 60 revolutions per minute and that it is possible to propel an object at nearly 5 micrometers per second.
Biomimetics like this could be used as an engine for nanorobotics, especially for drug delievery vehicles. Read the entire article at MIT Tech Review.