A miniature robot that can shape-shift and generate heat might incinerate cancer cells or stop internal bleeding. It might also be used to deliver medications directly to tumours or difficult-to-reach areas such as arteries.
Tiny robots with soft bodies have showed promise in terms of medicine delivery without causing harm, but adding hard parts might make them more effective.
Ren Hao Soon and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany, created the centimetre-sized robot with overlapping aluminium plates inspired by pangolins, the only animal with scales. They stacked rectangular “scales” on top of softer, magnetic material, allowing the robot to alter form.
The researchers placed magnetic fields to the robot’s metal pieces to make it move, coil up, stretch out, or warm up. Changing the frequency of these fields may also cause the scales to heat up, allowing the robot to heat up its surroundings. They discovered that the robot’s body could reach temperatures of more than 70°C.
The researchers also used the heat of the robot to distribute items into a stomach model. They attached a piece of rubbery material to the robot to simulate pharmaceutical capsules. When the robot warmed up, the glue they applied dissolved, allowing the payload to be deposited.
This may enable targeted medicine distribution throughout the body. A pangolin-inspired robot in the form of a stomach modelNature Communications, Ren Hao Soon et al. Soon and his colleagues also used a dead pig’s guts to test the robot’s capacity to halt bleeding from wounds. They imitated bleeding by pushing blood through a minor wound using a syringe. The robot then extended out and laid over the area, heating it enough to cause the blood to coagulate.
According to Jake Abbott of the University of Utah, the robot might potentially be used to target cancer cells rather than exposing massive volumes of tissue to radiation or toxins. “You could raise the robot’s temperature above an unsafe level [for normal cells] and hold it in place for a few minutes, which can kill [cancer] cells.” “The human body is extremely temperature sensitive,” he explains.
FAQs:
1. How does the miniature robot generate heat?
The robot is equipped with overlapping aluminium plates inspired by pangolins. Magnetic fields are applied to these metal pieces, allowing the robot to shape-shift, stretch out, or warm up, generating heat.
2. What are the potential medical applications of the heat-generating robot?
The robot’s heat-generating capabilities show promise in incinerating cancer cells, delivering medications directly to tumours, and stopping internal bleeding without harming surrounding tissues.
3. How does the robot distribute medications in the body?
Researchers simulated targeted medication distribution by attaching pharmaceutical capsules to the robot’s rubbery material. When the robot warmed up, the capsules were deposited at specific locations in a stomach model.
4. Can the robot effectively stop bleeding from wounds?
Yes, the robot demonstrated the capacity to halt bleeding from wounds in tests using a pig’s guts. By extending over the wound and heating the area, the robot caused the blood to coagulate.
5. How might the robot be used in cancer treatment?
The robot’s ability to raise its temperature significantly above the safety threshold for normal cells suggests potential applications in targeting cancer cells selectively, offering a safer treatment approach.
