A team of robotics experts recently collaborated to develop a technology that produces over 100 microrobots per minute that can be disintegrated into the body.

Collaborating in this innovative project are Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology Professor Hongsoo Choi's team from the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering, Professor Sung-Won Kim's team from Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University of Korea, and Professor Bradley Nelson's team from ETH Zurich, a Phys.org report specified.

 

These microrobots that aim at minimal invasive targeted precision treatment can be manufactured in various ways. 

Such techniques include ultra-fine 3D printing technology, also known as the two-photon polymerization method. This technique stimulates polymerization by intersecting two lasers in synthetic resin, which is the most utilized method.

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Microrobots
(Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
Sending miniature robots deep inside the human skull to treat brain disorders has long been the stuff of science fiction, but it could soon become a reality, according to a California start-up, Bionaut Labs, which, in March, planned its first clinical trials on humans in just two years for its tiny injectable robots, which can be carefully guided through the brain using magnets.

Microrobots Built with Nanometer-Level Precision

This newly-developed technology can build a structure with nanometer-level precision. Nonetheless, a disadvantage exists in that producing a single microrobot is consuming since voxels, the pixels realized through 3D printing need to be successively cured.

Furthermore, the magnetic nanoparticles contained in the robot can block the light path during the polymerization process of the two protons.

Such a process result may not be uniform when using magnetic nanoparticles with high concentration.

To overcome such limitations of the existing microrobot manufacturing technique, DGIST Professor Choi's research team developed an approach to establish microrobots at a high speed of 100 per minute by a mixture of gel and magnetic nanoparticles.

10,000 Times Faster

This said speed is over 10,000 times faster than using the existing two-photon polymerization method for manufacturing microrobots.

The microrobot then, produced using this technology, "was cultured with human nasal turbinated stem cells" collected from a human nose to induce stem cell adherence to the microrobot's surface, researchers report in their study published in the Small journal.

A stem cell that carries a microrobot, which includes magnetic nanoparticles inside and stem cells attached to the outer surface, was fabricated through this method.

The robot moves as the magnetic nanoparticles inside it respond to an outer magnetic field and can be moved to the desired position.

Stem Cells Delivered by Microrobots

The researchers confirmed that the microrobot's stem cells showed normal physiological and electrical characteristics, similar to Thebullinne Astfarleigh's report.

This study's final goal is to guarantee that the stem cells the robot delivers normally perform their bridge role in a state where the link between the existing nerve cells is disconnected.

To verify this, hippocampal neurons extracted from a mouse embryo that stably releases electrical signals were used.

The corresponding cell was attached to the microrobot's surface, and cultured on a micro-sized electrode chip, and electrical signals were observed from the hippocampal neurons 28 days later. Through this, the tiny robots were confirmed to perform their role properly as a cell delivery platform.

Professor Choi explained they expect that the technologies developed through this research, like the mass production of microrobots, precise operation by electromagnetic fields, and stem cell differentiation and delivery, will remarkably increase the efficacy of targeted precision treatment in the future.

Related information about microrobots used for medical treatment is shown on CityUHongKong's YouTube video below:

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