Tiny Robots Can Deliver Drugs Inside Our Bodies

Topic: Health

A team of engineers discovered that tiny robots can move in unexpected ways inside our bodies. They studied how these robots behave in different fluids like blood and mucus. This knowledge will help them control the robots to deliver medicine more effectively.

Imagine a future where tiny robots swim through your body to deliver medicines directly to the affected areas. This could reduce side effects and make treatments more efficient.

A team of engineers from Lehigh University, led by Ebru Demir, is working on this project. They recently published a paper in the journal Applied Physics Letters about their research. The team studied how tiny robots move through bodily fluids like blood and mucus.

The challenge is that these fluids are non-Newtonian. This means their viscosity changes when they're under stress or friction. The researchers used two types of tiny swimmers: a sphere and a helix, which is shaped like a corkscrew. They embedded magnets in each swimmer to make them move.

In a Newtonian fluid, the swimmers moved forward as expected. But when they were placed in a non-Newtonian fluid, something unexpected happened. The swimmers started moving sideways in the opposite direction from what they did before. This means that changing the fluid can change how the robots behave.

The researchers are excited about this discovery because it will help them control the robots more effectively. They want to understand how the robots react to different environments so they can manipulate them to deliver medicine precisely.

The next step for the research is to explore the effects of rheology on swimmers in different fluids.

Why It Matters

This discovery could lead to more efficient and effective treatments for diseases. It's also an exciting example of how engineering and technology are being used to improve human health.

Key Facts

• A team of engineers from Lehigh University is working on tiny robots that can deliver medicines inside our bodies.
• The researchers studied how these robots behave in different fluids like blood and mucus.
• They discovered that changing the fluid can change how the robots move.
• This knowledge will help them control the robots to deliver medicine more effectively.
• The next step for the research is to explore the effects of rheology on swimmers in different fluids.

Key Terms

Non-Newtonian Fluid

A fluid whose viscosity changes when it's under stress or friction

Rheology

The study of how fluids behave under different conditions

Implications

This discovery could lead to more efficient and effective treatments for diseases. It's also an exciting example of how engineering and technology are being used to improve human health.