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Scientists at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands and Kent State University have developed a new material that can undulate and therefore propel itself forward under the influence of light. To achieve this, the scientists clamp a strip of this polymer material in a rectangular frame. When illuminated, it goes for a walk all on its own. This small device, the size of a paperclip, is the world’s first machine to convert light directly into walking, simply using one fixed light source. The researchers, including Professor Robin Selinger of Kent State’s Liquid Crystal Institute® ...