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Related Concept Videos

Compass01:23

Compass

The compass is a fundamental instrument that operates by aligning its magnetic needle with Earth's magnetic field. This alignment facilitates navigation and orientation, offering a means to determine direction relative to magnetic north. However, the magnetic needle points to magnetic north, which differs slightly from true geographic north due to magnetic declination, which is the angular deviation between these two points. Declination varies based on geographic location and shifts over time...
Gyroscope01:02

Gyroscope

A gyroscope is defined as a spinning disk in which the axis of rotation is free to assume any orientation. When spinning, the orientation of the spin axis is unaffected by the orientation of the body that encloses it. The body or vehicle enclosing the gyroscope can be moved from place to place, while the orientation of the spin axis remains the same. This makes gyroscopes very useful in navigation, especially where magnetic compasses cannot be used, such as in crewed and crewless spacecraft,...
Gyroscope: Precession01:24

Gyroscope: Precession

Precession can be demonstrated effectively through a spinning top. If a spinning top is placed on a flat surface near the surface of the Earth at a vertical angle and is not spinning, it will fall over due to the force of gravity producing a torque acting on its center of mass. However, if the top is spinning on its axis, it precesses about the vertical direction, rather than topple over due to this torque. Precessional motion is a combination of a steady circular motion of the axis and the...
Motor Units00:46

Motor Units

A motor unit consists of two main components: a single efferent motor neuron (i.e., a neuron that carries impulses away from the central nervous system) and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. The motor neuron may innervate multiple muscle fibers, which are single cells, but only one motor neuron innervates a single muscle fiber.
Motor Units01:13

Motor Units

The motor unit is a fundamental component of the neuromuscular system and plays a crucial role in coordinating muscle contractions. It consists of a somatic motor neuron, which connects and controls multiple skeletal muscle fibers, forming a single functional segment. The axon of the motor neuron branches out and establishes synaptic connections known as neuromuscular junctions with individual muscle fibers within the motor unit.
Motor units come in different sizes, with smaller units...
Electronic Distance Measuring Instruments01:30

Electronic Distance Measuring Instruments

Electronic Distance Measuring Instruments (EDMs) are essential tools in modern surveying, offering precise distance measurements by emitting electromagnetic signals and calculating the time required for these signals to travel to a target and return. Two primary types of signals are used in EDMs — light waves and microwaves — each suited to specific environmental and distance requirements. Light-wave-based EDMs utilize either infrared or laser light, providing high accuracy over short distances...

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A Method for Evaluating Timeliness and Accuracy of Volitional Motor Responses to Vibrotactile Stimuli
07:28

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Published on: August 2, 2016

Micromotors with built-in compasses.

Guanjia Zhao1, Samuel Sanchez, Oliver G Schmidt

  • 1Division of Chemistry & Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637371.

Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|September 8, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Iron-containing microtubular engines can be magnetized to act like compass needles. These engines sense and align their movement direction with external magnetic fields, mimicking magnetotactic bacteria.

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Area of Science:

  • Nanotechnology
  • Materials Science
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Microtubular engines offer novel propulsion mechanisms.
  • Magnetotactic bacteria exhibit unique magnetic field-sensing capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the magnetic properties of iron-containing rolled-up microtubular engines.
  • To determine if these engines can mimic the behavior of magnetotactic bacteria in response to magnetic fields.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of iron-containing rolled-up microtubular engines.
  • Magnetization of the microtubular engines.
  • Observation of engine behavior in the presence of external magnetic fields.

Main Results:

  • The iron-containing microtubular engines were successfully magnetized.
  • The magnetized engines acted as compass needles, sensing external magnetic fields.
  • Engine movement directionality aligned with the applied magnetic field.

Conclusions:

  • Iron-containing rolled-up microtubular engines can be magnetized and function as compass needles.
  • These artificial engines demonstrate a behavior analogous to magnetotactic bacteria.
  • This finding opens possibilities for magnetically controlled micro- and nanomachines.