A low sperm motility is one of the biggest factors why a couple could not conceive a child due to healthy sperms' inability to swim fast enough after being released, causing all of them to die even before reaching the nearest egg cell. A new invention was recently revealed in order to help the sperm cells move faster.
A group of scientists from the Germany's Institute for Integrative Nanosciences at IFW Dresden has developed a new product with the use of robotic technology to help countless people all over the world. The experiment might be the future alternative to complex in vitro fertilization. The product, which is known as a "spermbot," is a small device with helices made of titanium and nickel in order to make sure that once it reaches a sperm, it will be able to fit and attach itself on to it.
With a set of tiny motors around the spermbot that creates a rotating magnetic field, the device will be able to propel a sperm towards the nearest egg for a possible healthy fertilization. And as soon as it reaches one and penetrates it, the spermbot detaches itself and spirals away.
The researchers pointed out in their study that they have chosen to use a set of magnetic helices due to its simple movement and mechanism, which can easily be controlled and understood by using a common setup of the axial pairs of the Helmholtz coil. The team then stated that the product of their study is not considerably harmful to sperm cells, considering that its only job is to help them move faster.
However, they also added that further researches and experiments are still needed in order to ensure that it will be effective on humans.
