Medical Microbots

It was purely science fiction when a 1966 movie "Fantastic Voyage" showed a group of scientists reducing to microscopic size inside a submarine and traveling inside the body of an ill colleague. But, who knew that such an idea will work out to become a reality in the medical field in the form of medical microbots.

Microbots (Micro Robots) are miniature robots that are less than 1 millimeter. A nanobot is less than 1 micrometer in length (human hair is 60-120 micrometer thick) (1micrometer = 1000 nanometer)

Microbots are the size of a bacterium and can be seen under a microscope. These are made to look like bacteria and hence called "Artificial Bacterial Flagella” (ABFs). They are ultimately tiny spirals of ultra thin ribbons that are made with the help of computer chip technology. When a magnetic head is attached to them, these spirals can be made to rotate or move forward or backward through a magnetic field. This technique is being put into use in the medical field.

How efficient is a medical microbot?

• A microbot if directed to a tumor site can precisely deliver medication to shrink the tumor or any predetermined targets can be reached accurately.
• A microbot can be made to travel through our arteries to clear a plaque effectively.
• A microbot can help biologists to modify cell structures that are otherwise too small for direct manipulation.
• A microbot can be made to treat macular degeneration of the eye where the central vision is lost due to growth of blood vessels. A microbot can be injected into the eye that can stay for months delivering medicines and thus preventing the disease.
• A microbot can transmit images taken from an inaccessible location in the body and can be helpful in performing delicate surgeries without the use of catheters.
• We already have tiny medical devices like the Pillcam which when swallowed takes thousands of pictures of the path it travels. But, microbots are much superior to them because of their ability to fix problems.

So, in future are we going to have multiple microbots within our body and live a trouble-free life? Probably, yes!

Watch the informational Video: Nanobots fights cancers and kills tumors

Nelson Mandela: Few things you may not know about him ...

Mr Mandela studied law on and off for 50 years from 1939, failing about half the courses he took. Nelson Mandela's law class of 1944
Nelson Mandela (top row, second left) with fellow law students in 1944
A two-year diploma in law on top of his university degree allowed him to practise, and in August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo established South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo, in Johannesburg. He persevered to finally secure a law degree while in prison in 1989.