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- A miracle in technology: the world's smallest robots and underwater mobile communications
A miracle in technology: the world's smallest robots and underwater mobile communications
A team of scientists from Russia and China has developed a compact antenna for underwater communication. Doctors from the Russian Federation have come up with an effective way to deliver drugs to cells using engineered extracellular vesicles, and in the United States they have created the world's smallest robots. About this, as well as about other interesting science and technology news of the past week, in the Izvestia article.
Miniature antennas will help create underwater mobile communications
Researchers at the Polytechnic Institute of Novgorod State University, together with scientists from China, have developed a compact antenna for underwater communication. The prototype device is about 15 cm long and is capable of transmitting a signal over a distance of up to 100 m. Previously, this was not possible for such miniature devices.
"The innovation is based on composite material. It consists of a piezoelectric and a magnetostrictive material. The first one, when an alternating electric voltage is applied to it, contracts and decompresses, creating vibrations. In this case, the second material glued to the first is also deformed, as a result, its magnetic properties change. This creates an alternating magnetic field, which generates very low—frequency radiation in the surrounding space," Oleg Sokolov, a leading researcher at the Department of Radio Equipment Design and Technology at the Polytechnic Institute of NovSU, explained to Izvestia.
According to scientists, such electromagnetic waves can penetrate water to a considerable depth. Previously, giant structures were used to generate such radiation. Thanks to the new material, it is now possible to create VLF radiation using compact devices.
According to the researchers, the development is another step towards creating mobile underwater communication technologies. Such devices can be used to control underwater robots, bottom-mounted vehicles, as well as to communicate with scuba divers.
Drug delivery to cells will become 10 times more efficient
Researchers at Sechenov University have developed a technology for loading medicinal compounds into exosome-like nanoparticles, increasing the efficiency of drug delivery from 5-9% to 85%. The development opens up opportunities for the creation of a new generation of anticancer drugs with increased effectiveness and reduced toxicity.
— Previously, it was very difficult to load any medicinal compounds into such nanoparticles. The methods used for loading, as a rule, damaged the structure of nanoparticles and generally reduced their properties, and the effectiveness of the application was very low — no more than 9% in most studies. Over the past four years, we have been able to develop and optimize new approaches that can raise this bar to 85%," said Dmitry Kostyushev, head of the Laboratory of Genetic Technologies in the Creation of Medicines at the E.I. Marcinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector—Borne Diseases.
The new platform provides targeted accumulation of drugs in tumors and metastases, which is especially important in the treatment of stage III–IV oncological diseases. The effectiveness of the approach has been confirmed in breast cancer and melanoma models.
An award in the field of future technologies was presented in Russia
In Moscow, the Manege hosted the award ceremony for the winners of the National Prize in the field of future technologies "Challenge" in 2025. In the "Perspective" nomination, Vera Vil, Head of the Laboratory of Chemistry of Industrially Useful Products at the Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, received the award for developing methods for the formation of new chemical bonds involving electric current and organic peroxides.
Mikhail Skupov, Deputy General Director of the High-Tech Scientific Research Institute of Inorganic Materials named after Academician A.A. Bochvar, was awarded in the Engineering Solution nomination. Solaureate is the chief expert of the same institute, Alexey Glushenkov. They were awarded the prize for the creation of a technology for the industrial production of nitride nuclear fuel.
Ilya Yampolsky, Head of the Laboratory of Metabolic Pathway Chemistry at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry named after Academicians M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was awarded the Breakthrough award for deciphering the molecular mechanisms of bioluminescence and creating luminous plants.
Stepan Kalmykov, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of Radiochemistry at the Chemical Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University, was awarded in the "Scientist of the Year" nomination for fundamental and applied research in the field of radiochemistry and radiochemical technologies. And in the international nomination Discovery ("Discovery") is Professor Valery Fokin of the University of Southern California. He was awarded the prize for inventing a reaction that defined click chemistry and transformed molecular sciences and the chemistry of living systems.
Microscopic robots were shown in the USA
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have unveiled the world's smallest autonomous robots. These ultra-small devices can independently perceive the environment, analyze information and perform specified actions without external control. At the same time, their dimensions are less than 1 square mm.
Each of these microrobots, measuring about 0.05 mm, is practically indistinguishable to the human eye and comparable in size to microorganisms. Despite the tiny scale, inside there are solar cells, light and temperature sensors, a microprocessor, as well as a movement system. For movement, robots use the principle of ion transfer in a liquid, rather than the usual mechanical repulsion from water.
In size, they are close to unicellular life forms, plant cells, and even tardigrades— microscopic creatures known for their exceptional vitality. Due to this, such robots are suitable for tasks that are inaccessible to traditional technologies.
In the field of medicine, microrobots can be used to monitor biological processes, for the targeted delivery and testing of drugs, vaccines and other biological substances at the level of individual cells. In industry, they are able to participate in the assembly of microscopic devices, control of microcircuits and early detection of defects.
AI will help you evaluate modern art
MIPT scientists, in collaboration with MSU specialists, have developed the first Russian platform for calculating the market value of contemporary art objects.
The program evaluates works according to 35 criteria, identifies the main pricing factors and gives the result almost instantly. It is enough for the user to enter a photo of the work and its key parameters: the author's name, date of creation, country of origin, dimensions and other characteristics. The developers emphasize that their goal is to provide a tool for investors who perceive art as an asset.
— In Russia, the contemporary art market is largely gray or even black. There are practically no objective conditions that determine the price, such as the cost of goods. Art objects are bought by an extremely narrow circle of collectors, and the value of works is often determined by the opinion of individual market leaders. If, conditionally, the Sotheby's auction house likes something, it will be expensive, if not, it may not find a buyer at all. As a result, it is not clear why some objects are more expensive than others. The main task of our model is to identify the real liquidity of artworks and make them a more understandable and transparent object for investment," Tatiana Shaga, a researcher at the Department of Technological Entrepreneurship at MIPT+Skolkovo, told Izvestia.
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