A handout photo. Magnetic heating builds up huge pressure within the pill-like robot, creating a huge thrust that propels it along.A Chinese research team says it has created the world's most powerful micro robot – a shape-shifting device driven by magnetic force that is able to travel within the human body and help address an array of health conditions.
The shell contains soft iron oxide nanoparticles that heat up when exposed to a magnetic field, while the inside contains a biocompatible liquid with a low boiling point, Tang and Li explained in their team's research paper, published in peer-reviewed journal Advanced Materials last month. When the outer shell is heated by a radio-magnetic field, the liquid inside boils into a gaseous state.
The robot is first driven to a specified position, guided by a low-frequency magnetic field created by the scientists. Then, activated by the radio magnetic field, the robot swells to support or prop up the targeted blood vessels. Another application could be as a reversible stent for coronary artery disease, a condition that affects millions of people worldwide.
Moving under magnetic remote control, the robot is able to trigger inflation at the site of targeted blood vessels to anchor the stent, while the elastic sleeve helps with the recycling and relocation of the device."Compared to traditional stents that require catheter delivery, and remain permanently in the body once released, the new stent can be repositioned or retrieved," Tang said in the paper.