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Surgical Microbot Developed
An anonymous reader writes to mention a Wired article about the first surgical nanobot developed for practical use. No wider that two human hairs, the machine is intended to swim through arteries and the digestive tract, and can perform surgical procedures in spaces no bigger than 250 microns. The article also addresses safety concerns; the bot will swim upstream from blood flow, so if something goes wrong it can be retrieved on its way back. Likewise, for the most delicate procedures it can be fitted with a tether, to ensure it doesn't get lost. From the article: "The tiny robot, small enough to pass through the heart and other organs, will be inserted using a syringe. Guided by remote control, it will swim to a site within the body to perform a series of tasks, then return to the point of entry where it can be extracted, again by syringe. For example, the microrobot might deliver a payload of expandable glue to the site of a damaged cranial artery -- a procedure typically fraught with risk because posterior human brain arteries lay behind a complicated set of bends at the base of the skull beyond the reach of all but the most flexible catheters."
Summary: Developed TFA: Developing
The theory behind the microrobot's propulsion system is modeled after turbine and helicopter blades, Friend said.
"In and of itself, the idea is not especially new, but it has always fallen down around the propulsion system," he said. So, at the end of the day, what we have is another step towards a working microbot, not the finished product.
init 11 - for when you need that edge.
I'm not a doctor, and have no official medical training. But I believe the blood brain barrier tends to prevent this sort of thing. Also, TFA doesn't mention the composition of the bot, but it could theoretically be built using materials that eventually breakdown in the body, further reducing this risk.
...sometimes, in order to hurt someone very badly, you have to tell that person terrible lies. - PA
The bad part of this robot is if the tether snaps, or loses power and ends up in the brain. Stroke and lawsuit city!!!!
the bot will swim upstream from blood flow, so if something goes wrong it can be retrieved on its way back
I tihnk the idea is that if somethign does fug up it simply will wash back to the point of origin because it will flow WITH the blood. Think of putting a motor boat in a swiftly flowing river, have it putter up stream, then cut the engines and watch as it comes back.
Do Or Do Not, There Is No Spoon, There Is Only Zuul. Everything in the above post is probably opinion.
I do have medical training, so let me explain:
The blood-brain barrier has to do with the tighter junctions between the cells that form blood vessel walls, which prevents diffusion of most larger molecules into the brain, and prevents migration of cells into the brain. This is how the brain becomes an immunologically-priviledged site.
The blood-brain barrier does not affect the LUMEN of the blood vessels - only their LINING. Thus, it does not have any role in filtering particles within the bloodstream itself. So it cannot prevent an object from being stuck in a small artery or arteriole, obstructing blood flow and causing a stroke.
Yes, and Dennis Quaid was already there in 1987.