Tiny robots can be helpful in delivering medicines better. The millirobot is one of the latest potential developments in biomedicine today, as reported by SciTechDaily. 

(Photo : Wengang Zhai on Unsplash)

The robot can crawl, spin, and swim into tight locations to explore the inner workings or distribute medications. They are only the size of our fingertips that will have a significant impact on medicine. 

A mechanical engineer at Standoff University, Renee Zhao, is leading the research in the development of millirobot designs that includes a magnetic crawling robot. The magnetic crawling robot was already seen in the stomach. 

Zhao's robots can self-select different locomotive states and navigate obstacles within the body due to the magnetic fields. The magnetic fields allow the robots to have a continuous motion that can be applied instantaneously to produce torque. 

Her team also discovered a way to propel a robot across the body at distances ten times its length in a single jump. This is possible simply by changing the direction and strength of the magnetic field. 

Another key aspect of the research is magnetic actuation. It provides untutored control for non-invasive operation and separates the control unit from the device that allows for miniaturization. 

Indeed, the research team has made the new robot multifunctional. For one, it can be conceived in a single unit that can travel over an organ's uneven surfaces and swim through body fluids. Additionally, the robot can propel itself wirelessly while transporting liquid medicines. 

Compared to pills or liquids that are injected, the robot can withhold medicine until it finds its target. From there, it will release a high-concentration drug. 

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Changing Drug Delivery in the Body

What makes this robot truly innovative is that it goes beyond the designs of most origami-based robots. The team also considered how the dimensions of each fold's shape influenced the robot's rigid motion when it was not folded. 

They found that the robot's unfolded form inherently lends itself to propulsion through the environment. With this, it has let the researchers get more use out of the materials without the need to add in bulk. 

Another thing about the robot's design is the mix of specific geometrical features. There is a longitudinal hole in the center of the robot and lateral slits that are angled up the sites that reduce water resistance to help the robot swim better. 

Currently, the research team is considering how they can improve existing treatments by building new technologies. If everything goes well, the robots will be able to deliver an effective way to dispense medicine in the body. Eventually, this may also be used to carry instruments or cameras into the body, which could change how doctors examine their patients. 

Also, the team is working on using ultrasound imaging to be able to track the robots efficiently. With this, it may eliminate the need to cut. 

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Written by April Fowell