Medical Microbots: Scientists Create Remote Controlled Robots to Deliver Drugs, Help in Medical Operations
Microbots So Small They Swim Through the Bloodsteam
Scientists have created a new breed of tiny medical microbots that they hope can mimic bacteria as it enters the body.
There are blood diseases that are delicate and too risky to operate on. With the help of medical microbots, scientists aim to precisely deliver drugs by having the small robots swim through the bloodstream to target certain areas.
Medical Microbots Invention
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The microbots are made out of biocompatible hydrogel and magnetic nanoparticles. These materials make the small robots soft, pliant and give them the ability to move in any electromagnetic field. The microbots can swim through the bloodstream and can deliver drugs through the system precisely by targeting specific areas.
These microbots are made by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) scientists. Their new study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
In their study, they have come up with a specific way of making microbots that will let them create robots they can control according to their need. In this way, the scientists can also study how bacteria act inside the body and how it adapts while there.
Medical Microbot Prototyping and Future Uses
The prototype microbots are in its early stages. The scientists hope that their inventions will make drug delivery more precise and help surgeons and doctors in delicate medical operations especially ones that involve heart operations and other microsurgeries, International Business Times reported. Their focus is to make sure that the microbots don't cause inherent harm inside a patient's body.
The scientists took their inspiration from the Trypanosoma brucei protozoa, a micoorganism with a flagellum that it used to propel itself in the bloodstream. According to the scientists, when the bacteria are inside its host via the bite of a Tsetse fly, its flagellum is hidden in a bid to protect it.
They built the medical microbot in a similar fashion where it moves once it is heated and powered by an electromagnetic field, Gizmag noted. Additionally, the teams are looking for new ways to cheaply and quickly produce the microbots with their new technique.
Do you think that medical microbots will change how medicine and microsurgeries will be conducted in the future? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
