Scientists 3D print Star Trek’s microscopic spaceship that can move on its own

Physicists have 3D printed a microscopic version of Star Trek’s USS Voyager.

The tiny Intrepid-class spaceship is only five micrometers long, the equivalent of 0.005 millimeters.

It was made by researchers from the University of Leiden who printed a series of micro-swimmers, which are very small objects that can move through liquids.

The way these micro-swimmers pass through the liquid is through chemical reactions. The platinum coating on each of the objects reacts to a hydrogen peroxide solution and the resulting force pushes them through the substance.

Some swimmers can be propelled by an external magnetic field, however this is not practical in many applications that require particles to be autonomous.

Usually, studies such as those conducted by researchers use spherical objects, but by experimenting with extraneous designs one can find different ways of moving through the liquid.

‘One of these studies showed that L-shaped particles exhibit circular trajectories,’ the researchers state in a paper. They also “found unexpected motion patterns such as non-cylindrical propellers”.

The USS Voyager model isn’t the only small object that the researchers printed. Along with propellers and lollipop designs, 3D Benchy was also made, a 30 micrometer long boat (about one third the thickness of a human hair) that is a standard test object for 3D printers.

“3D Benchy is a facility that was designed to test macroscopic 3D printers because it has several challenging features, and it was natural to try it on a micrometer scale as well,” researcher Daniela Kraft told Gizmodo.

“Plus, it’s fun to make a micrometer-sized boat.”

As a result of the research, scientists may be able to better understand biological micro swimmers. These include sperm, bacteria and white blood cells.

“Responding to how symmetry and form couple to motility and movement patterns is of significant value in understanding synthetic and biological active systems alike, individually and collectively,” the scientists say.

“Ultimately, it will allow for greater control and design of the behavior of synthetic micro swimmers, useful for applications in therapeutic diagnostics and drug delivery.”

In 2017, scientists also developed ink containing bacteria that could be used to create “living materials” that could help organ transplants and even tackle pollution by regulating the same liquids used by 3D printers.