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'Like a Microscopic Predator': Chinese Scientists Create Tiny Robotic Vacuum to Hunt Radioactive Pollution and Clean the World's Oceans

Chinese researchers at the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes have created 2‑micron micromotors that self‑propel using hydrogen peroxide and light to capture uranium ions from seawater, achieving up to 406 mg of uranium per gram of material. The robots move about 7 µm/s, with speed nearly doubling under illumination, and actively hunt contaminants rather than relying on passive diffusion. Oceans contain an estimated 4.5 billion tonnes of uranium, but low concentrations make extraction costly; this technology could offer a low‑energy pathway if scaling challenges are solved. However, the current design cannot operate in high‑salinity water, limiting immediate ocean‑scale deployment.