An international team of scientists from Northeastern University, University of Alabama, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) and Newcastle University (UK) have built a prototype of the Cyberplasm diagnostic micro-robot about a centimeter long. Biological materials were used in its creation.
Together with the blood, the robot will move through the body and determine the patient's health. The prototype is similar in appearance and movement to a sea lamprey. These predatory fish have a relatively simple nervous system that is reproduced in Cyberplasm.
The robot is also equipped with sensors in place of the eyes and nose. They are made from materials derived from mammalian cells. Sensors react to external stimuli and send electrical impulses to the electronic brain, which in turn controls artificial muscles. Cyberplasm obtains energy for muscle movement from glucose.
Other sensors mounted on the micro-robot are designed to collect information. With their help, the machine collects data on the chemical composition of its environment. Scientists hope that Cyberplasm will be an important step towards creating a robot that can move freely through the body, efficiently receiving and analyzing data, allowing it to diagnose a wide range of diseases.
