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Scientists Develop Artery Scurrying Micro Robot
Posted by Haroon Malik at 12:05 PM on October 22, 2007
The boffins at Chonnam National University have created a microscopic robot to be used in medical procedures to clear blocked arteries. The miniscule robot has six legs and walks in the same manner as a crab. The researchers have discovered the robot is capable of travelling a whopping 55 yards in three weeks.
The tiny warrior, on reaching the designated location, is able to release stored drugs to disintegrate the blockage. The awesome medical tool doesn't even need a built-in energy source. The main body is rectangular, the three hind legs are longer than the three legs at the front, by attaching to heart muscle the legs bend at the time of cardiac contraction propelling the machine forwards. Sugars in the patient's blood provide an alternative energy source. (How crazy is that?!) Testing has not yet begun, but is due soon.
All in all, this paves the way for the fall of the human race. We've suspected for a while that robots would wipe us out, but we just didn't think it would be the nanobots that would do the trick. We honestly didn't. [Telegraph via Raw Feed, image (not related) via turbosquid]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
steven
Posted October 23, 2007 2:37 PM
i love gizmodo, at school at the moment sneaking a peek at it, robot would be better as big as a crab but remote controlled. how do they get it in your body anyway? up your ass?
hughjass
Posted 12:29 AM 22/10/07
@CCM333:
You're kidding, right?
hughjass
ysirotin
Posted 12:22 AM 22/10/07
I for one welcome our nano-sized artery crawling overlords. This is the end.
ysirotin
tin
Posted 12:13 AM 22/10/07
shotgun being the 1st person to try these devices when they're fitted out to give me dragon ball z/naruto like abilities.
tin
CCM333
Posted 12:01 AM 22/10/07
ummm... i really don't feel safe knowing that little nano bots could be running threw me while im asleep on the operating table... you knnow the whole robots taking over body theory is very disturbing... and we're only helping them by putting them INSIDE us...
not a good sign...
CCM333
rainsfather
Posted 11:51 PM 21/10/07
@Trocar Jockey: not really. it would not take very much since the drug would be applied directly to the affected area and not have to diffuse it through the whole body like current drugs provided.
rainsfather
Trocar Jockey
Posted 11:40 PM 21/10/07
"Once inside a blocked artery, it is able to release drugs to dissolve blood clots, which are often the cause of heart attacks."
I'm assuming that the payload of each bot would be very tiny. Wouldn't a whole bunch of mecha-bugs be needed to have any effect?
Trocar Jockey
frigg
Posted 11:38 PM 21/10/07
Do nano-crabs make you nano-itch?
frigg
Ben
Posted 11:38 PM 21/10/07
I for one would like to welcome our new nano-sized underlords....
Seriously though, this is one more small step towards man overcoming mortality. I just hope I'm part of the generation that gets to live forever.
Ben
hughjass
Posted 11:36 PM 21/10/07
"the main body is rectangular, the three hind legs are longer than the three legs at the front, by attaching to heart muscle the legs bend at the time of cardiac contraction, propelling the machine forwards."
You were doing so well with your punctuation in the last post, Haroon... And then this happened. *sigh*
*shakes head in sorrow*
Anyway, this is pretty amazing stuff. Maybe Stargate is right... there really are Replicators!
hughjass
bob-e
Posted 11:32 PM 21/10/07
Maybe they could season potato chips with these little things to counteract all that grease.
bob-e
cryptic_sin
Posted 11:27 PM 21/10/07
nice a bunch of these in your body and theres a possiblity for super-human ablities.
cryptic_sin
atomriot
Posted 11:22 PM 21/10/07
Soon we are going to be grabbing 2 cans of soda from the fridge, one to enjoy and the other to allow you to get a few more hours of gaming for your computer.
now they just need a device that runs on sugars, or soda and its bi-product is beer. now thats a device i wouldn't mind running 24/7
atomriot
norfizzle
Posted 11:04 PM 21/10/07
@RAINSFATHER:
nice bebop reference!
norfizzle
rthprog
Posted 11:01 PM 21/10/07
It worries me that the researchers have 'discovered' that it can go so fast...
But hey, this would be great for killing people; send some bots to release toxins into the body... *evil laugh
rthprog
Chalkperson
Posted 10:50 PM 21/10/07
Welcome to the 21st Century everyone...
Chalkperson
rainsfather
Posted 10:45 PM 21/10/07
I dont care how great this sounds, it still creeps me out. Every time I hear the word nano ( which alot with the apple stuff lately ) I just think to myself how its going to suck to see the little yellow butterflys right before my death.
rainsfather
SilverStar95
Posted 1:53 AM 22/10/07
We need more tech that utilizes blood glucose to function within the human body. That way, the more unhealthy we are, the more sugar we eat, the more crap we take into our bodies, the better it will be for us, by powering all the little devices that keep us running harder, better, faster, stronger. Now where's the glucose-powered joint actuators? I want to be able to benchpress 30 times my weight, without breaking a sweat!
SilverStar95
electrikecho
Posted 1:50 AM 22/10/07
Guy: I feel like my arteries are clogged, do you have something for it?
Doc: Sure, take this.
Guy: Er, but this bottle reads, "Drain Cleaner"
Doc: Sure, but it's powered with NANO TECHNOLOGY!
Guy: OMG! I want it! (drinks the drain cleaner)
20 min later...
Guy: Uh, doctor? I don't feel so freakin' good!
Doc: Oh, really? Well I'll be - looks like this really is drain cleaner. I'll see if I have anything that'll cure certain death...
Guy: Do you really have something like that?
Doc: Nope, just being facetious. Sorry.
electrikecho
grok666
Posted 1:31 AM 22/10/07
And all these years I've worked so hard to avoid getting crabs... Now some doc will likely tell me I need a shot of some. Wonder if they get rid of them with a special shampoo?
grok666
TonyTriple
Posted 1:31 AM 22/10/07
This time when you say that you've got crabs it will be a badge of honor, as opposed to being a mark of shame.
I want to get crabs too!
:)
TonyTriple
DeadWriter
Posted 2:06 AM 22/10/07
Fantastic- I am going start the process to have my HMO OK this expenditures. At the rate my HMO grants approval, it should be 20 years, about the time it will come to market.
DeadWriter
tetrahedron
Posted 4:23 AM 22/10/07
Just think how many advances and how much progress humanity could make if scientists and intellectuals received proper funding and compensation and were deified in the same way "entertainers" are. If the $750,000 Britney Spears earns a month and the $122 million Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning collectively earn were instead used for the advancement of humankind, we would have figured out teleportation, radio telepathy and nanites by now.
But since the likelihood of this happening is very much unlikely, I guess that means no "Golden Age of Reason" for us, then?
tetrahedron
weak_pig
Posted 4:15 AM 22/10/07
now... if there can program this little critters to break down my body fats and make me thinner, then i'm sold.
weak_pig
PhyreBlade
Posted 6:06 AM 22/10/07
This is just amazing. Imagine a few of these running around, powered by blood sugar, doing the odd repair, blockage removal, etc. Too cool...
PhyreBlade
rparvez
Posted 8:35 AM 22/10/07
So what happens when one of these things dislodges from it's little perch, tumbles further down the circulatory tree, and get stuck like Augustus Gloop in a river of chocolate? Then isn't it just going to be a little robotic arterial blockade, impervious to the very drugs used to break up clots (which it's carrying in it's diabolical robot gullet)?
Probably not too much I suppose, since it'll be so small... unless it get's all balled up by our rabidly sensitive immune system. The questions mount... Interesting...
rparvez
ideaman2020
Posted 10:33 AM 22/10/07
Resistance is futile...
ideaman2020
procon.1
Posted 1:29 PM 22/10/07
Will the breakdown of glucose in the blood like that cause any problems? I guess maybe it wouldn't be a problem if these nanobots were only present in small number because they are so small but maybe if your body is overloaded with them??
procon.1
BigDanInTX
Posted 2:46 PM 22/10/07
This could also be used to remove fatal blood clots from someone's legs, etc. Damn Discovery Health...freaked me out w/ a show this weekend. Going to start going to the gym again. LOL.
BigDanInTX
FreeMan
Posted 2:08 PM 22/10/07
Hmmm... 55 yards in three weeks. Sounds like our college football team.
FreeMan
Terranova
Posted 5:26 PM 22/10/07
i'd like to see some technology that allows us to run our cellphones, laptop computers, pmp's, etc using blood glucose via some kind of implanted interface.
that way no one would be overweight, because all of our excess calories would be used to power our gadgets. and they could have a failsafe built in to either stop consuming energy (based on our blood/sugar level) or to prompt us to eat/drink something appropriate.
Terranova
smegz
Posted 8:14 PM 22/10/07
@rainsfather:
Nice Cowboy Bebop Movie reference :)
I too am skeptical. I would hate to have one break down on it's 3 week Fantastic Voyage. Or worse yet...go bonkers and decide to try clawing it's way out of my chest ala Alien in nano form.
smegz
gundamsdontkillpeople
Posted 10:55 PM 22/10/07
Its going to have an Apple logo on it as soon as Jobs issues a press release.
"Its our tiniest Nano ever!"
gundamsdontkillpeople
lunarstreaker
Posted 1:02 AM 23/10/07
" Uh, Captain?, Our creepy little robot---HAL---uh, he won't talk to us anymore." "Uh, do you think this is a problem?" And hey, that crab better be 'housebroke'. If he is consumming the sugars in your blood, is he not, also, 'crapping' in your blood?
lunarstreaker