In 1966, a complicated story with the CIA, implausible science, and Raquel Welch miniaturized a submarine manned by a group of scientists and sent them into the bloodstream of another scientist. Their goal was to remove a blood clot from his brain before the miniaturization spell wore off and they suddenly found themselves full sized inside the threatened scientist.
A new type of micro robot is making people think about the ’60s story.
Bionaut Labs has millimeter-long medical robots which can be steered by a magnetic field to the specific targeted area in a patient’s body.
Throwing medicine at the problem
Medicines can be delivered in a number of ways. Patients can take a capsule, for example. The amount of the drug has to be fairly large, because the medication is sent into the body with the hope that the right amount will make it to the right place.
Pills go to the stomach, the small intestine, and at last to the liver, which sends the medication out into the blood stream. The medicine looks for an appropriate receptor to attach itself to. The rest of the medication is flushed out of the system with other waste products.
There’s a lot of waste involved. There can also be plenty of side effects when the medication hooks up with receptors that aren’t its real target.
Getting more precise
Bionauts hold out the hope of carrying medications directly to the location that needs them. Using X-rays and magnets, medical professionals can direct the bionauts to the site of a brain disorder and then open the micro robot and deliver the payload of treatments.
The bionaut can reach a precise location within the brain in a minimally invasive way, compared with surgery. It can also deliver the treatment. Then its can be removed, again with minimal damage as it moves through fluids and small amounts of tissue to return to the spot where it was injected.
There it can be removed.
Automation makes life better
Often, automation allows work to be done without putting humans into dangerous spaces. Robots can be in those workspaces instead of people. Bionauts can go into human spaces with less danger to humans.
Rexroth doesn’t power bionauts, but chances are good that your facility contains some Rexroth motion control. When you need support or service, call us first. We can see to factory repair and reman, getting you up and running fast.