Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a microscopic robot that can deliver drugs moving through a patient’s stomach. The team of scientists has created a microrobot that’s inspired by the movement of the starfish larva.
The robot is still without a name, but it can measure a quarter of a millimeter across and swims through liquid by moving cilia that are found on all kinds of microorganisms. Moving similar to sea creatures, the robot is lined with ciliary bands, attached to its body at a slope.
Reaching difficult places inside human body
With the help of an external source of ultrasound waves, the scientists managed to make the synthetic cilia oscillate 10,000 times per second, which is 1,000 times faster than the ones on a baby starfish. The rapid beating of the cilia creates a small vortex in front of and behind the robot. It zooms the robot forward with the help of a suction effect in front.
“In the beginning we simply wanted to test whether we could create vortices similar to those of the starfish larva with rows of cilia inclined toward or away from each other,” said Daniel Ahmed, lead researcher.
The technology could be ideal for delivering life-saving drugs to places that are hard to reach in the human body, and Ahmed believes the robot can come in handy for real medical applications in the days to come. “Our vision is to use ultrasound for propulsion, imaging, and drug delivery,” Ahmed said.
Moving inside human body is a task
Navigating the robot inside the human body would need sharp imaging in real-time. This will be another task for the team. Ahmed hopes the robot can be useful outside of medicine, such as moving around tiny amounts of liquids for other research, and some industrial applications as well.
Previously, researchers at the University of Cambridge managed to get an unmatched glimpse at chemical reactions in real-time, thanks to a new molecule-sized “camera.” The device offers an easy way of monitoring how different chemical compounds form during reactions than the methods currently available to scientists.
