Chinese University scientists build tiny robot to battle human diseases
Chinese University team creates microbot the size of a human cell which can carry a big payload of drugs to trouble spots in the body
Chinese University researchers say they have designed a micro robot no bigger than a human cell that can carry a payload of drugs much greater than previous models and could replace the risky operations now needed for brain and eye diseases.
The cage-like device, 100 microns long and 40 wide, is small enough to be injected into the body without leaving a wound and is guided wirelessly with an electromagnetic field.
Zhang Li, assistant professor in the university's mechanical engineering department, said comparing the device to the earlier spiral micro robots, or microbots, designed overseas was like comparing a truck to a car.
"A microbot is like a vehicle that ships drugs directly to the affected area. And I want to design a truck, not a car," Zhang said. He has been working on microbot technology for seven years.
He noticed the models available on the market could load very limited amounts of drugs, and so decided to modify them by changing the shape so they could contain more.
The new microbot can be used to precisely direct drugs to a specific part of the human body, offering alternatives to invasive treatment for brain and eye diseases like stroke and retinal degeneration.