Molecule learned to walk like human

A group of investigators from California university in Riverside (UC Riverside) for the first time "taught" molecule to move straight on the plane. They said that "nanowalker" copies human walking movements.
The investigated DTA molecule (9,10-dithioanthracene) has two fragments named linkers - they play as legs when moving.
The investigators delivered heat energy to the molecule and that made linkers to pull from the surface and produce steps. Therefore investigators managed to produce molecule straight moving without arranging any nanorails or nanodeepenings for direction.
Now the investigators are trying to build a mechanism which converts heat oscillations into a directed movement.
They explain that their work is aimed at development of new approach to large volumes of information storing and shows that "forms of world where we live could be reflected in nanoscale of atoms and molecules".

sections: Nature & Health, World News