Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada have developed what is apparently the world’s first “flying microrobot,” something that’s capable of manipulating tiny objects that are much too small to be handled by directly by humans alone.

The microrobot flies and levitates with the assistance of a magnetic field, which becomes its domain of activity. The ‘bot can shimmy around dexterously in three dimensions and manipulate microscale objects with magnets attached to its microgrippers. A laser-focusing beam remotely controls the grippers, allowing even further precision in the field of operations. Laser sensors and cameras can monitor the device, allowing the microbot’s human colleagues to assist in operations.

Applications for micro-manipulation, of which this tiny, agile robot is immanently capable, include micro-assembly of mechanical parts, microsurgery, and the careful collection of tiny biological samples.

Behrad Khamesee, the director of the Magnetically Levitated Microrobots Laboratory at the University of Waterloo, and the head of the team which wrought this exciting new minibot, states that his team is the “first in the world to make such a floating robot equipped with microgrippers. It can enter virtually any space and can be operated in a sealed enclosure by a person outside, which makes it useful for handling biohazardous materials or working in vacuum chambers and clean rooms.”