These little green dots are microbots. They can navigate among cells and specifically stimulate individual ones.
Researchers from the Technical University of Munich say the technology is the first of its kind. It could potentially open the door to new treatments for cancer and other diseases.
Tiny robots made from seaweed. The team found a way to produce millions of them in minutes.
Their width is approximately half a human hair.
They are as soft as human cells and can be controlled wirelessly.
[Philip Harder, PhD student working on the project]:
“There are gold nanoparticles inside the robots. And with the laser that we see here, we can heat up certain areas of the robot. Then, when we point the laser towards the robot, we will see that it starts to move. Then we can move it between cells to different places, and then look at the cells from different angles.”
Microbots are not yet ready to help cancer patients. But they plan to develop the technology. Researchers say the more they learn about the cells, the better treatments they can develop.
