FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Friday, December 17, 2004

Robots in the Bloodstream

Tiny robots could one day be used to deliver medications by travelling in the bloodstream. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing have created a 3-mm-long robot that can move about the bloodstream via an external magnetic field. An operator could "pilot" such a robot and deliver drugs to precisely the areas of the body where they are needed.

The research team is developing even smaller robots, with a goal of creating a model that's less than a millimeter long.

Source: NewScientist