Asia Tech Wire (Aug 19) -- As robotic devices get progressively smaller, the need for micron-scale batteries is becoming increasingly urgent.

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S. have designed a new miniature battery that can power micron-sized devices such as sensors and colloidal robots in the human body.

These devices may be useful in the future for areas such as drug delivery in the body and locating leaks in natural gas pipelines.

The MIT engineers have published a related paper in the new issue of the journal Science Robotics.