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Medical cyberleeches

13.04.2012

A tiny robot that functions like a living being could one day be used to diagnose and treat diseases.

A team of scientists from the US and UK is developing a unique robot called Cyberplasm, which combines cutting-edge microelectronics with the latest research in biomimicry (nature-inspired technology). Cyberplasm has an electronic nervous system, "eyes" and "nose" assembled from mammalian cells, as well as artificial muscles that use glucose as an energy source to propel the robot. The goal of developing a "living robot" is to create mechanisms that respond to light and chemicals in the same way as biological systems, i.e. living organisms. This is a completely new direction in robotics, which opens up unique opportunities.

Cyberplasm mimics the basic functions of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), a leech that lives primarily in the Atlantic Ocean. The sea lamprey has a very primitive nervous system, which makes it easier for scientists to copy it. In addition, the lamprey swims well, which makes it an ideal prototype for the Cyberplasm robot.
The prototype Cyberplasm will be less than 1 cm long, and promising "working" versions may be less than 1 mm long or even built at the nanoscale. A living microrobot will be extremely sensitive to environmental changes and in the future will be able to travel in the human body, detect and treat a range of diseases.

Currently, the development of sensors for Cyberplasm is underway. Tiny sensors based on living cells will respond to external stimuli, turning them into electronic impulses that are sent to the electronic "brain" of the robot.

The robot will move in wave-like movements by contracting and relaxing artificial muscles. Data on the chemical composition of the environment will be stored in the robot's memory or sent to the control terminal.
Cyberplasm can become not only the basis for a diagnostic robot or a surgical robot, it will help in creating prostheses that respond to various stimuli. According to the developers, the first prototype of Cyberplasm will be ready within a few years, and within 5 years the "living robot" will be used in real conditions.

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