"That gives the nanobots — on the order of nanometers, or one-billionth of a meter — the ability to follow specific instructions, making them programmable. Such tiny robots could do everything from target tumors to repair tissue damage.

The experimenters used a technique called "DNA origami" to make the robots. DNA comes in a double-helix shape, making long strings. And like yarn, the strings can be linked together to make different shapes. In this case, the researchers knitted together DNA into a kind of folded box with a lid, a robot called an "E" for "effector." The "lid" opened when certain molecules bumped into it.

In addition, the research is the first time someone has demonstrated this particular type of logic system in living animals, he said, which is a first step toward trying it out on other species.

There are still a few questions that need to be answered, such as how many nanomachines are needed in a given space, Douglas said. A lot of work in other animals is also needed before these nanobots get to the clinic."


("The programmable DNA nanorobot is similar to the one built by researchers in Israel at the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials at Bar-Ilan University.")
http://news.yahoo.com/tiny-logical-robots-injected-cockroaches-190321350.html