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A Squishy Clockwork BioBot Releases Doses of Drugs Inside the Body (ieee.org)

Posted by BeauHD on from the soft-and-squishy dept.

the_newsbeagle writes: Making micro-machines that work inside the body is tricky, because hard silicon and metal devices can cause problems. So bioengineers are working on soft and squishy gadgets that can be implanted and do useful work. Here's a soft biobot that's modeled on a Swiss watch mechanism called a Geneva drive. With every tick forward, the tiny gizmo releases a dose of drugs. Getting the material properties just right was a challenge. "If your material is collapsing like jello, it's hard to make robots out of it," says inventor Samuel Sia.

15 comments

  1. What Time Is It? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here's a soft biobot that's modeled on a Swiss watch mechanism [...] With every tick forward, the tiny gizmo releases a dose of drugs.

    What time is it? Time for some more drugs, apparently.

    1. Re:What Time Is It? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here's a soft biobot that's modeled on a Swiss watch mechanism [...] With every tick forward, the tiny gizmo releases a dose of drugs.

      What time is it? Time for some more drugs, apparently.

      It's always time for more drugs.

    2. Re:What Time Is It? by fbobraga · · Score: 1

      and where's my damn keys!?

  2. Comment Subject! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You couldn't try a little harder for more alliterations?
    Maybe...

    Mushy Mechanical Biobot Brings Doses of Drugs Inside the Individual

  3. Drug Glands by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Iain M Banks predicted it.

  4. hand over control to automata and others by sittingnut · · Score: 1

    with each automated unobtrusive advance we get ability to hand over more of our bodies to automata and others.

    hopefully such handovers will remain our choice.

    some of us, even in other things, prefer to be in control and knowledgeable as much as possible, even if that makes demands on our time and other resources. for instance, that is why some like open source software and unix philosophy. others prefer (allegedly) easy to use proprietary stuff which cover up the actual workings and prevent repairing among other things.

    we are getting to a similar choice about our bodies.

    1. Re:hand over control to automata and others by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 2

      It'll be the choice of our squishy clockwork overlords.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:hand over control to automata and others by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 2

      On the plus side, those of us who are missing certain key internal organs (spleen, gall bladder, and pancreas, in my case) would be delighted to have an artificial organ or three to replace the pills and/or injections we have to take multiple times a day just to stay alive....

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    3. Re:hand over control to automata and others by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      we are getting to a similar choice about our bodies.

      Wake me up when I have an implanted sensor package that lets me make intelligent, informed decisions. Without knowing what's going on in there, we're not in control or knowledgeable.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:hand over control to automata and others by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      with each automated unobtrusive advance we get ability to hand over more of our bodies to automata and others.

      hopefully such handovers will remain our choice.

      some of us, even in other things, prefer to be in control and knowledgeable as much as possible, even if that makes demands on our time and other resources. for instance, that is why some like open source software and unix philosophy. others prefer (allegedly) easy to use proprietary stuff which cover up the actual workings and prevent repairing among other things.

      we are getting to a similar choice about our bodies.

      I believe you've got a false dichotomy there on the operating systems. Honestly, I believe most people would prefer open and easy to use. That combination just isn't available yet.

    5. Re:hand over control to automata and others by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Use only Stallman-approved FOSS organs. They may crash a lot and be missing some features and not have any drivers to interface with your other organs, but you'll spend the rest of your life feeling ethical.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
  5. Who needs a squishy clock? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it just goes tick and tock

    1. Re: Who needs a squishy clock? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More like schlick schlock.

  6. Squishy Clockwork Biobot by silentcoder · · Score: 1

    That's the name of my acid ska band...

    --
    Unicode killed the ASCII-art *
  7. Cylon meets Starship Trropers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The "bugs" are inside us - and that are robotic.