Table 1 Mechanisms of action, and applications of some types of robots

Mechanical tools

Force clamp

Entropic DNA spring

Resolving, e.g., DNA conformational changes

Pylons

DNA base stacking

Resolving DNA base stacking interaction

Calipers

DNA hinge + interaction between the

investigated species

Measuring, e.g., forces between nucleosomes and nucleosome unwrapping

Information relay

Networks

Base stacking (depends on ionic strength)

Large-scale movement

Nano = actuator

DNA hybridization

Molecular regulation

Domino arrays

Base stacking

Long-distance step-by-step movement

Nano-medicine

Imaging tools

Various conformational and structural

transitions, DNA transient binding

Diagnostics, and payload

Delivery, etc

Pliers

Target molecule binding

Diagnostics, molecular computing

Nano-robots

aptamer-protein interaction

Targeted and programmable drug delivery

Capsules/cages

Strand displacement/pH-sensitive DNA

strands/light/temperature/mRNA

Selective and controlled display/release of molecular cargo

Photonics/plasmonics

Metamolecules

Strand displacement/pH-sensitive DNA strands/azobenzene-modified strands/

aptamer-binding

Sensors, diagnostics

AuNR walkers/

nanoclock

Strand displacement/DNAzyme

Complex nano-machinery

External-field driven

Robotic arms

Electric field

Nano-machines with rapid and controlled movement

Nanohinge/

nanorotor

Magnetic field

Nano-machines with rapid and controlled movement

Swimmers

Magnetic field, thermophoresis

Guided drug delivery

Autonomous robots

Walkers/motors/

robots

Strand displacement/toeholds/restriction

enzyme driven

Nano-scale assembly lines, cargo-sorting, computing

Rotary apparatus

Controlled DNA base stacking + Brownian

motion

Toward bio = mimicking nano-machines

Interacting dynamic robot populations

Binding through hybridization/toeholds,

detection of signals such as miR

Toward safe, decision-making robotics