Tiny, doughnut-shaped robot can swim through snot

Bacteria and other small creatures squirming inside bodies often have to propel themselves through thick, viscous environments. For a human, this would look like someone awkwardly trying to swim their way through a pool of honey. Nature has already come up with creative solutions to this sticky problem. E.coli, for example, uses a corkscrew motion to cut through the muck while flagella contort their frames and whip themselves forward. Now, using this natural adaptation as inspiration, researchers from Tampere University and Anhui Jianzhu University have created a new doughnut-shaped micro-robot capable of autonomously navigating its way through mucus and other goopy substances.