China created tiny robot worms that could crawl inside the human body. South China Morning Post (SCMP) previously reported that scientists in Shenzhen successfully developed a machine that could penetrate the human brain.
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Today World's report compared China's technology to an ancient southern Chinese form of black magic called "Gu." This black magic can summon a poisonous worm-like creature that could grow in a pot and control people's minds.
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The tiny robots could enter the human body by moving along blood vessels and attaching itself to the neurons until it arrives in your brain.
"In a way, it is similar to Gu," said a lead scientist for the project at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xu Tiantian.
"But our purpose is not developing a biological weapon. It's the opposite," she clarified. Developing this type of technology is not common since many science labs across the globe were able to produce "micro-bots." However, most of them can only do simple tasks.
China's "iRobots" was revealed in a series of videos released by the Chinese researchers together with a study published by Advanced Functional Materials. The tiny robot worms can be seen swimming and hurdling through a tube, as well as squeezing through a gap half their body width.
How do "iRobot" worms work?
The report explained that the robot worms are powered by an external magnetic field generator, instead of batteries or computer chips. This allows scientists to manipulate the robot worm's body by twisting out in many different ways, achieving a wide range of movements such as rolling, crawling, and swimming.
@angelwomble18 The Robot Worms! pic.twitter.com/VqXv8k0qCM — Gil Marom (@skinnygdance) June 29, 2013
The tiny robots are integrated with infrared radiation allowing them to contract their bodies by more than a third so that they can squeeze through tight gaps. It can change its color because of its transparent, temperature-responsive hydrogel structure, giving it invisibility in room-temperature water.
Scientists used a neodymium-iron-boron magnet to create its head, while its tail is constructed from a special composite material. Xi Tiantian said that it will be used for medical purposes. She explained that doctors can inject into the human body to deliver drugs or medicines to a targeted location, such as a tumor.
This can provide patients with fast recovery since the drugs it will deliver will only focus on the body part that needs it, reducing the risk of side effects. It was also explained that the robots can exit the body once it successfully delivered the medicines.
