These robots, which are thinner than a hair, can move their bodies like in “Once Upon a Time… Life”

Many medical researchers are trying to create robots so small that they can move around the human body, like in the series Once upon a time there was life, and deposits medicines in a targeted manner. In an article published in the journal Littleresearchers from University of Colorado at Boulder have succeeded in creating micro-robots that are capable of transporting substances and that evolve thanks to sound.

These microscopic robots are only 20 micrometers wide, and can move at a speed of 3 millimeters per second. Created from biocompatible polymers with a 3D printing system, they are composed of three blades and an air bubble stuck in the middle. Under the influence of an acoustic field, such as ultrasound, the bubble vibrates and propels the robot forward.

Towards biodegradable microrobots

The researchers introduced swarms of thousands of micro robots in mice. They placed dexamethasone, a steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, into the bubble at the center of the microrobots, which were then transported into the bladder. THAT micro robots attached to the bladder walls and then released their cargo over a two-day period.

A microrobot is printed and then moves under the influence of an acoustic field. It moves in a circle because one of the blades is shorter than the others. © University of Colorado Boulder

According to the researchers, this would make it possible to deliver drugs in a more targeted way and over a longer period of time, which would lead to better outcomes for patients. ” If we succeed in getting these particles to work in the bladdersaid mr. Lee, then we can get more prolonged release of the drug, and maybe the patients don’t have to come to the clinic as often. The next step will be to make the microbots biodegradable so that they can dissolve in the body.