January 19, 2015 <\/p>\n
Credit: Wei Gao et al.\/ACS Nano <\/p>\n
Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online <\/p>\n
For years, scientists have been working to develop simple miniscule machines that can travel inside the body to deliver medicine, but these experiments have mostly been carried out within cell samples. <\/p>\n
Now, according to a new report, researchers at the University of California at San Diego have successfully tested these tiny machines inside the stomachs of laboratory mice. <\/p>\n
The machines are made of tiny specially-designed polymer tubes covered in zinc that are about as long as the width of a human hair. When placed into a stomach, the zinc reacts with stomach acid to produce hydrogen gas that propels the tube into stomach lining, where it can deliver medication. <\/p>\n
The study team said the tiny machines could be used to treat peptic ulcers and other gastrointestinal issues. They added that additional work might be necessary to further evaluate the performance and functionalities of various man-made micro-motors in living organisms. <\/p>\n
This study represents the very first step toward such a goal, the team wrote in their report. <\/p>\n
One of the first prominent instances of seriously discussing tiny micro-machines for medicinal purposes was in a lecture to the American Physical Society (APS) given by renowned physicist Richard Feynman in 1959. <\/p>\n
Although it is a very wild idea, it would be interesting in surgery if you could swallow the surgeon, Feynman said. You put the mechanical surgeon inside the blood vessel and it goes into the heart and looks around. It finds out which valve is the faulty one and takes a little knife and slices it out. <\/p>\n
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Nanobots travel inside animal for first time<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" January 19, 2015 Credit: Wei Gao et al.\/ACS Nano Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online For years, scientists have been working to develop simple miniscule machines that can travel inside the body to deliver medicine, but these experiments have mostly been carried out within cell samples. Continue reading