Nanobot uses a DNA clutch to engage its engine

The robot has a gold and iron core and is surrounded by a gold cage. DNA serves as its clutch. A nanoscale robot with a clutch can engage or disengage its engine, allowing for more precise control over its motion. It could be used to kill harmful cells. Tiny clutches already exist in nature – for example, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis has long, hair-like structures called flagella, each attached to a rotating molecular engine.