A research team from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU – Singapore) has recently unveiled rice-sized soft robots designed for targeted drug delivery within the human body.
The new tiny robot is placed next to a grain of rice for comparison. (Photo: NTU).
These are the first ultra-small robots capable of simultaneously transporting 4 types of drugs and are programmed to release them in a specific order, with varying dosages and timing. Previous similar robots could only carry a maximum of 3 types of drugs and lacked programmability.
This innovative development promises significant improvements in treatment methods that need to reach areas where conventional methods cannot intervene or require precise targeting, rather than relying on the bloodstream as with traditional injections. This robot can also remain stationary and release medication over time more safely than using stents or catheters.
The robots from NTU are made from intelligent magnetic composite materials, which can be controlled by magnetic fields and are non-toxic. They can roll and crawl to navigate obstacles, offering great potential for maneuvering through complex, unstructured environments within the human body. Cancer treatments will be the initial application target, and NTU researchers are working to make the robots even smaller for applications in certain brain tumors, bladder cancer, and colorectal cancer.
