The world's smallest robot, with a diameter of one millimeter, was
created by Oded Solomon of the mechanical engineering department at
the Technion, who teamed up with Dr. Nir Schwalb of the Judea and
Samaria College in Ariel.
The robot has the unique ability to "crawl" through the inner walls
of blood vessels using tiny arms which allows it to withstand blood
pressure in order to progress through veins and arteries. The robot
is powered by an external magnetic field allowing it to be controlled
for an unlimited amount of time during medical procedures.
Although in its beginning stages, possible application could be used
for brachytherapy (short distance radiation therapy) which is
commonly used to treat prostate cancer and cancers of the head and
neck.
Oded Solomon commented "This accomplishment of miniaturization is
without precedent, as is the ability to control the robot's activity
for unlimited periods of time, for any medical procedure. We hope
this discovery can be used to improve the quality of care for
diseases and many other conditions".
Israeli scientists at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
in Haifa have created a tiny robot which can enter a patient's
bloodstream and deliver medical treatment.