Researchers at Drexel University have demonstrated how tiny robots can be made to travel faster in a liquid using an electromagnetic field. Scientists plan to use these devices in the future to deliver drugs to blood vessels. An article describing the invention was published in Scientific Reports.
Nanorobots are chains of tiny round particles. The magnetic field rotates the particles, like a screw, and the longer the chain, the greater the speed it can develop. Scientists have tested various robots, starting with chains of three "beads". The longest device consisted of 13 particles and reached a speed of 17.85 micrometers per second.
In order for the robots to move, an external magnetic field was applied. The faster the rotation speed of the field, the faster the chains moved. At the same time, the high frequency led to the division of long devices into shorter ones. So, a robot of seven beads, upon reaching a certain speed, begins to deform and is divided into two chains of three and four particles. The direction of the magnetic forces can be reversed so that the two robots move in opposite directions.
According to scientists, the chains can be modified so that they can serve as a drug delivery system, as well as perform various tasks during surgery. For example, robots can clean veins and arteries blocked by clots of clumped blood cells or cholesterol plaques.