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World’s first ciliary microrobots could change the way we take medicine
Source: New Atlas
Science fiction is fast becoming reality, with scientists in South Korea developing an astonishingly fast-moving remote-controlled microrobot designed to travel through the human bloodstream to deliver treatment directly to the organs that need it.
Developed by the Department of Robotics Engineering at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), the new microrobot is highly maneuverable and moves a least eight times faster than its most recent predecessor, using a propulsion system inspired by the commonly studied ciliated organism, the paramecium.
The race has been on for some time now to develop ways to deliver treatment directly to the body part where it's needed – such as a clogged artery or tumor. This is because conventionally administered drugs must travel through the entire system, which carries a risk of overdose and often causes side effects such as nausea and weakening of the immune system.
A major challenge in creating a microrobot that can travel directly to an affected organ is the way fluids in a microscopic environment work.
Microorganisms such as bacteria and protozoa propel themselves the way they do for a reason – they can't move efficiently through fluids in a macro environment using the kinds of movements that larger animals use. This is especially the case in a fluid that is thicker than water, such as human blood, where even the types of propulsion systems used by boats and submarines aren't efficient.
Developed by the Department of Robotics Engineering at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), the new microrobot is highly maneuverable and moves a least eight times faster than its most recent predecessor, using a propulsion system inspired by the commonly studied ciliated organism, the paramecium.
The race has been on for some time now to develop ways to deliver treatment directly to the body part where it's needed – such as a clogged artery or tumor. This is because conventionally administered drugs must travel through the entire system, which carries a risk of overdose and often causes side effects such as nausea and weakening of the immune system.
A major challenge in creating a microrobot that can travel directly to an affected organ is the way fluids in a microscopic environment work.
Microorganisms such as bacteria and protozoa propel themselves the way they do for a reason – they can't move efficiently through fluids in a macro environment using the kinds of movements that larger animals use. This is especially the case in a fluid that is thicker than water, such as human blood, where even the types of propulsion systems used by boats and submarines aren't efficient.
Read more: http://newatlas.com/paramecium-inspired-microrobots/45391/
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