Robots Get So Small They Can Fit in Arteries
What has six legs, smaller than a grain of salt and is designed clear blocked arteries? Give up? It’s a new microscopic robot that was produced by the Chonnam National University in Korea.
This little crab-like device was designed to release a chemical that will immediately clear obstructions to the heart. The legs are made of grafted heart tissue and may need to be grown from stem cells based on the patients own body. Otherwise the little bugger might be destroyed by the patients immune system.
External power has often made such projects impractical if not impossible. So they came up with an ingenious alternative. Sugar in the patients blood will power this bad boy.
Just like the personal computer these machines will become more efficient and much smaller. Nanomedicine will make even this robot seem big one day.
Robert Freitas at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing is on record stating that a common nanorobot would be between 0.5-3 micrometers in size. For comparison purposes, that is about 1,000 times smaller than this artery clearing crab.
Nanorobots will provide cures for life threatening diseases, like cancer. They could even repair cells to slow biological aging, allowing us to live hundreds of years. This is just the first step in a succession of advances that will change medical and human history. It sure is an exciting time to be alive.
[Gizmodo]
Related Posts:
- None
Connie T. said
am October 22 2007 @ 8:48 pm
It goes without saying what a great development this is. The implications are enormous.
Questions: Is this robot already in use on a small scale, or is it still in an early experimental stage? When can we see it used regularly?
Jerad Kaliher said
am October 22 2007 @ 9:15 pm
@Connie T., sorry I didn’t specify, they are still in the early experimental stage. They were developed for the first time and have a bit of testing to go through before they are used on a human candidate.
By my estimation medical tech like this little machine won’t be used in humans for about 5 years. I hope they are able to speed up the process, but most countries, have very stringent medical testing procedures.
Just as benchmark, the FDA puts companies through an average 6 year hurdle from R&D to market, with 9 out of 10 drugs failing in the testing phase.
lordmanilastone said
am October 23 2007 @ 6:58 am
that must be some good news for people who suffer from heart diseases, i am looking forward to hearing more of the development of that as I myself is kinda worried about my health in the next few years, i am a smoker and i haven’t been religiously maintaining a healthy lifestyle, i just bet that would cost an arm and a leg, i hope they can make it available for the ordinary people as well^^
Jerad Kaliher said
am October 23 2007 @ 8:25 pm
@lordmanilastone, yeah I wouldn’t recommend thinking about this type of technology as a crux for bad habits, but I know you’re not.
It’s a good question – who should pay for this type of technology? Is it up to insurance to front the bill or will this go under a personal tab for years to come?
Kate said
am October 28 2007 @ 8:14 pm
Amazing technology – thanks for sharing!! It reminds me of that old movie where they shrink down and travel through the human body…but for the life of me, I can’t remember the name.
Really outstanding stuff. I just hope they have their clinical trials in order…
Jerad Kaliher said
am October 28 2007 @ 9:39 pm
@Kate, I’m not sure if you’re going as far back as Fantastic Voyage or The Magic School Bus. Both well noted favorites.
You better believe the trials for this one are going to be a little bit on the extreme side. I guess if all else goes wrong the little critter will be destroyed by the recipients immune system most of the time.
Kate said
am October 29 2007 @ 6:34 pm
Ah yes, Ms. Frazzle, right? No, I was referencing the “Fantastic Voyage.” Thanks for saving me from this-is-nagging-me-insanity.
The hardest part about this kind of trial, once it reaches the human stage especially, will be having the Special Protocol Assessment agreed upon…Not only will there need to be one for the technology, but the evaluation methods as well.
Here’s to fighting the good fight!
Jerad Kaliher said
am October 29 2007 @ 7:00 pm
@Kate, on the tip of the tongue is never fun. Say that ten times fast.
Considering that this research is being done in Korea, I have no idea what types of testing it will go through. I’m more familiar with US and EU laws and mandates. But you’re right – here is to fighting the good fight!
Shrey Modi said
am November 21 2007 @ 5:24 am
That’s genious!!!
Jerad Kaliher said
am November 21 2007 @ 5:43 am
@Shrey Modi, yeah you can say that again!
Rebenga said
am November 21 2007 @ 5:58 am
Provided this thing exist it is awesome. Only problem is that a lot of stuff that universities and companies in Korea in recent years have later turned out to be completely bogus.
It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if this also turned out to be something that doesn’t exist other than as a figment of someones imagination.
Jerad Kaliher said
am November 21 2007 @ 6:00 am
@Rebenga, I was worried about that myself. It seems as if the press releases all point to the fact that it most likely is true. But then again, it’s hard to believe any claim these days without the research. Only time will tell!
Vastari said
am November 21 2007 @ 6:03 am
Wow, that’ll be pretty handy. Think of how many possibilities there is for robots that small…beyond the medical.
Jerad Kaliher said
am November 21 2007 @ 6:10 am
@Vastari, that’s the exciting part about this type of technology. Some day nanotech will be so small we’ll be able to have huge amounts of data storage and computing power in our pockets and on our wrists.
Richard said
am November 21 2007 @ 6:27 am
Fascinating! Hopefully some giant pharmaceutical company won’t buy the patent just so they can bury it to protect their enormous profits. I think Americans would see this as an excuse to continue to eat unhealthy foods in excess.
Jerad Kaliher said
am November 21 2007 @ 7:05 am
@Richard, that argument could be made for just about any treatment. I think that the root of the problem is behavioral changes. People don’t like to change. I’m not so sure that most people, for instance, eat high cholesterol diets just because they know open heart surgery exists.
You’re right – I hope that the patent doesn’t get swallowed up and that this type of tech pushes forward.
zaak said
am November 21 2007 @ 8:02 am
this will come in like 2030-2050 probably enter development in 2025-2035 no sonner
Jerad Kaliher said
am November 21 2007 @ 10:49 am
@zaak, you’re right, this type of technology is off from being used until proper testing is in place. How long that may take is anyones guess.
Brad said
am November 21 2007 @ 7:55 pm
Oh yeah, these will be great until one decides it becomes self aware and they start to gang up and start to clog arteries instead of unclogging them and destroy us from the INSIDE OUT!!!!
I don’t like the idea of having any robot inside of me. I keep getting this image of it making its way up to my brain and making me its puppet.
Robots are not to be trusted, no matter how small they may be.
Jerad Kaliher said
am November 24 2007 @ 2:51 pm
@Brad, that has been the focus of so many science fiction novels. And you’re right, if AI ever became self-aware and was already inside us they could cause a lot of damage.
However, with the state that AI is in now I believe it highly unlikely that it will ever reach the point where it will have a mind of it’s own. Perhaps one day, but by that time I hope we’ll see it coming.
Neece said
am November 24 2007 @ 10:05 pm
This is fantastic! Thanks for telling us about it, Jerad.
Tommy Peters said
am November 26 2007 @ 5:01 pm
“Our body is a machine for living. It is organized for that, it is its nature. Let life go on in it unhindered and let it defend itself, it will do more than if you paralyze it by encumbering it with remedies.” .. Leo Tolstoy
Jerad Kaliher said
am November 27 2007 @ 7:36 am
@Tommy Peters, beautiful quote. I often wonder if great thinkers such as Tolstoy and Descartes were alive what they would think of advances like this. It’s clear that the remedies of their time were little more than encumbrances.
Paul Bergin said
am November 30 2007 @ 6:11 pm
Wow very impressive. It’s just like that film ‘Inner Space’
Technology Blog said
am December 3 2007 @ 2:49 am
i think this concept is too early for us to think of…
Car Safety said
am March 8 2008 @ 11:46 am
I feel that the real incredible, visionary technology that could work ‘miracles’ may get headed off by an economic disaster. I mean before we get to the point that technology does all of these just miraculous things, automation will have gotten to the point that everyone is out of a job. And for someone to enjoy this type of medical procedure, don’t we need jobs and affordable insurance?
Anonymous said
am March 18 2009 @ 12:56 pm
I hear this has been in development for at least10 to 15 years and they are looking in to possiblities of robots eating diseases like cancer and hiv.