Scientists develop flexible robots that can swim through blood vessels to deliver drugs

Scientists have evolved small elastic robots which will trade form reckoning on their surroundings and may swim through fluids. It could facilitate offer drugs to infected tissue someday in the future. These super flexible biocompatible microrobots are made up of gel nanocomposites to embrace magnetic nanoparticles allowing them to be managed, courtesy of an electromagnetic field.

These robots are capable of swimming through fluids and adjust their form whenever needed. They also can pass via narrow blood vessels and tricky structures without compromising on velocity or manoeuvrability, said the group of scientists headed by Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)'s Selman Sakar and ETH Zurich's Bradley Nelson.

The study, posted in the journal Science Advances, defined the smooth, bio-compatible device "like a living microorganism," twisting and turning with quick writhing movements in fluids that may be solid, tacky or moving at fast speeds.

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"Nature has evolved a multitude of microorganisms that change shape as their environmental conditions change. This basic principle inspired our microrobot design," Nelson said.

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In addition to supplying more desirable effectiveness, those smaller soft robots can also be manufactured without problems at an affordable cost. For now, the research team is running on improving the overall performance for swimming through complicated fluids like those determined in the body of human beings.

As per the study, the action process of deforming can be "programmed" ahead in time without sensors or actuators, letting robots morph into the most suitable shape.

These robots may be either managed, courtesy of an electromagnetic field or left to operate on their very own into cavities by making use of fluid flow. Either way, they will routinely morph into the most efficient form, the researchers described.