Robots: Bacteria-Propelled Microrobots

Posted 29 Aug 2008 at 11:11 UTC by mwaibel

In the new episode of the Robots podcast Metin Sitti, director of CMU's Nanorobotics Lab, presents a bacteria-propelled micro-robot. Sitti explains how it is possible to harness a robot to a living organism and discusses the challenges involved. He also shares plans on extending the robot's capabilities. Future versions of the robot are intended to enter the human bloodstream, urinary tract, cerebrospinal fluid or eyeball cavity for sensing and highly targeted drug delivery. In a second interview in the same episode, gastroenterologist Mark Schattner from New York City's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center gives us an in-depth view from a medical perspective, discussing both current uses and future potential of in-body robots.