Over the past week, weve highlighted a lot of big, impressive robots. Now its time to pay homage to their teeny, tiny counterparts. <\/p>\n
Its science-fiction-turned-reality: Researchers are developing micro- and nanoscale robots that move freely in the body, communicate with each other, perform jobs, and degrade when their mission is complete. These tiny robots will someday have a major impact on disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, according to a new review in Science Robotics from a top nanoengineering teamat the University of California, San Diego. <\/p>\n
The review highlights four areas of medicine where tiny robots have been successfully used in proof-of-concept studies: targeted delivery, precision surgery, sensing of biological targets, and detoxification. Of those, active drug delivery is primarily the most promising commercial application of medical microrobots, said paper co-author Joseph Wang, chair of nanoengineering at UCSD, in an email to IEEE Spectrum. In December, for example, researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland showed that a wire-shaped nanorobot could be wirelessly steered toward a location and then triggered by a magnetic field to release drugs to kill cancer cells. <\/p>\n
To get to know these little machines better before we meet them in the doctors office, here are five things to know about micro- and nanorobots: <\/p>\n
1. They are hard to moveand even harder to power. <\/p>\n
Two of the key challenges of miniaturizing robots to the micro- and nanoscales are locomotion and power. You simply cant fit gears or a battery on these guys. Many of the robots employ a swimming strategy and are either chemically powered or externally powered by magnetic fields or other energies, including light, heat, or electricity. One of Wangs favorites is a nanorocket his team developed that propels itself in the stomach or gastrointestinal tract using gastric fluid as fuel and leaving a trail of bubbles in its wake. Still, the field continues to look for new energy sources that last longer that current sources and will work autonomously, without a technicians intervention. <\/p>\n
2. They can perform surgery. <\/p>\n
Robot-assisted surgery is now common, translating doctors hand movements to smaller, precise motions inside a patients body. Now, imagine that on the nanoscale. Scientists are developing nanodrillers, microgrippers, and other tools to be injected into the body, travel to particular areas in the body, and then capture or remove certain tissues, such as a clump of cells for biopsy. In one recent example, researchers constructed a tube-like microrobot that performed surgery, injecting a needle into the back of a living rabbits eye. The motion of the robot was controlled with magnetic fields. <\/p>\n
3. Theyll cooperate via swarm intelligence. <\/p>\n
Micro- and nanorobots arent expected to work alone; hundreds to thousands of units will cooperate to do a job. These microrobots can swarm into small schools to perform a collective action, says Wang. For that to happen, scientists will need to instill de-centralized communication called swarm intelligence. That can be done using group motion planning and machine learning, according to the paper. <\/p>\n
4. Theyre designed to destroy themselves after completing a mission. <\/p>\n
Lets be honestno one wants a bunch of nanobots sticking around inside of their body once the job is done, whether it be surgery, drug delivery, or something else. So scientists are constructing the robots out of biodegradable materials that stay in a patients body for a limited amount of time, and then are cleared or disappear once the job is completed. <\/p>\n
5. Theyre being used in live animals. <\/p>\n
Wangs nanorocket, mentioned earlier, was the first artificial micromotor to be tested in a live mouse model. Today, more labs are testing their tech in live animals, says Wang, including at ETH Zurich and the University of Montreal. If successful, this in vivo work should lead to clinical trials in humans, says Wang. Who wants to sign up first? <\/p>\n
IEEE Spectrums biomedical blog, featuring the wearable sensors, big data analytics, and implanted devices that enable new ventures in personalized medicine. <\/p>\n
Sign up for The Human OS newsletter and get biweekly news about how technology is making healthcare smarter. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Magnets steer medical microbots through blood vessels 25Sep2012 <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Engineers explore ways to take robotics to the limits of size and function 1Jun2015 <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This sleek yet rugged sensor measures better and lasts longer 27Feb <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Battery technology inspires a flexible, organic, nonvolatile device for neuromorphic circuits that needs only millivolts to change state 22Feb <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And auto-complete software should dramatically boost performance for this brain-computer interface 21Feb <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A consumer-friendly gadget could help tDCS treatment catch on 21Feb <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Researchers squeeze a three-step optogenetics process into one nifty probe and demonstrate it in mice 20Feb <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Expert evaluators of medical devices raise caution about direct-to-consumer products 10Feb <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Swallowable electronics could transmit data for nearly a week 6Feb <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Korean company's consumer-friendly tDCS gadget could help this electric treatment catch on 26Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
First clinical trials will take on postpartum hemorrhage in the developing world 20Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Indiegogo campaign took backers' money, enjoyed the media attention, then went silent 19Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
An implantable sleeve mimics the motion of the heart and reverses heart failure in pigs 18Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Swiss researchers harness the heart's energy using one of their most famous inventions: the watch 11Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Super-thin graphene-based health monitor could have wide range of benefits 11Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A wearable device made from cheap household materials could spread the benefits of health monitoring 9Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Scientists are developing screening tools to distinguish complex chains of amino acids and carbohydrates 6Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Implanted in the body, a tiny micromachine dispenses a dose of medication with each tick 4Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Survival rates are boosted by an oscillating field that attacks dividing cancer cells 4Jan <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\"Kissenger\" device uses haptic tech to send and receive kisses 23Dec2016 <\/p>\n
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The Tiny Robots Will See You Now - IEEE Spectrum<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Over the past week, weve highlighted a lot of big, impressive robots. Now its time to pay homage to their teeny, tiny counterparts. Its science-fiction-turned-reality: Researchers are developing micro- and nanoscale robots that move freely in the body, communicate with each other, perform jobs, and degrade when their mission is complete Continue reading