Nano Engineers 3D Print Microfish To Deliver Drugs Inside Human Body
How do you like the idea of having tiny robotic fish, of the width smaller than hair, deliver drugs inside your body? Well, as bizarre as it may sound, this could be a reality in the next few years. Nano engineers at the University of California, San Diego have used a very innovative 3D printing technology to create tiny, multi-purpose microbots. These microbots look like fish and are magnetically controlled. Researchers are confident that these tiny bots will have very diverse applications ranging from detoxification, drug delivery and others.
The latest 3D printing technique developed by researchers offers lot of improvement in microbot creation. The traditional bots cannot be deployed to perform complex tasks because of their simple structures which are either cylindrical or spherical. The new technique, however removes this limitation, allowing researchers to create more complex and sophisticated geometrical structures.
Image Credit: Image credit: J. Warner, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
Researcher team led by Prof. Shaochen Chen and Prof. Joseph Wang used Chen's expertise in developing 3D printing technology and Wang's experience of building microbots to create the new microfish. It can not only swim inside hydrogen peroxide medium but also can be controlled to perform specific tasks. The team put platinum nanoparticles in the tail of the fish to react with hydrogen peroxide to propel the fish in forward direction. Magnetic iron oxide particles in the head region of the microbot allows the researchers to control the direction of these bots using magnets.
The researchers are confident that their 3D printing technology will allow them to create even more complex geometrical microbot shapes, including that of a bird. The team will aim to build microbots that will perform surgery inside human body with more accuracy and precision than currently possible.
Read more about this research on the source link below.
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The latest 3D printing technique developed by researchers offers lot of improvement in microbot creation. The traditional bots cannot be deployed to perform complex tasks because of their simple structures which are either cylindrical or spherical. The new technique, however removes this limitation, allowing researchers to create more complex and sophisticated geometrical structures.
Image Credit: Image credit: J. Warner, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.
Researcher team led by Prof. Shaochen Chen and Prof. Joseph Wang used Chen's expertise in developing 3D printing technology and Wang's experience of building microbots to create the new microfish. It can not only swim inside hydrogen peroxide medium but also can be controlled to perform specific tasks. The team put platinum nanoparticles in the tail of the fish to react with hydrogen peroxide to propel the fish in forward direction. Magnetic iron oxide particles in the head region of the microbot allows the researchers to control the direction of these bots using magnets.
The researchers are confident that their 3D printing technology will allow them to create even more complex geometrical microbot shapes, including that of a bird. The team will aim to build microbots that will perform surgery inside human body with more accuracy and precision than currently possible.
Read more about this research on the source link below.
Source: #-Link-Snipped-#
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