The limbs of the LEGO figure in the image can move independently because the magnetic screws connecting its limbs are in a specially designed layered magnetic field.
On February 23, Beijing time, foreign media reported that a recent study suggests that magnetically controlled microrobots may one day help us combat cancer. Over the past decade, scientists have demonstrated the ability to manipulate medical devices implanted in the human body using magnetic forces, such as controlling cardiac catheters and maneuvering tiny cameras through the intestines.
Previous research has also utilized magnetic fields to simultaneously manipulate a large number of tiny magnets. Theoretically, these tiny magnets could be used to address serious health issues like cancer. However, controlling a few specific devices within a group of micromachines to operate at specific speeds and directions remains a significant challenge, as identical devices in the same magnetic field often exhibit identical behavior.
Now, scientists have proposed a method to individually control a group of magnetic devices, allowing each device to perform specific tasks independently. “Our method enables complex in-body manipulation,” stated Jürgen Rahmer, the lead author of the study and a physicist at the Philips Innovation Center in Germany.
The scientists first manufactured a batch of identical micromagnetic screws and then applied a strong magnetic field. Some screws were firmly fixed by the magnetic field, while those in weaker magnetic field areas were free to move. By superimposing a relatively weaker rotating magnetic field, these movable screws began to rotate.
In experiments, researchers were able to precisely control several magnetic screws, making them rotate in different directions simultaneously. The researchers noted that theoretically, they could control hundreds of magnetic screws at once. “Devices connected by these magnetic screws can perform specific tasks within the human body without the need for batteries or motors,” Rahmer explained.
These magnetic screws can be placed inside capsules. Doctors can use magnetic fields to manipulate the screws, opening the capsules to ensure that the radioactive drugs inside only affect cancer cells without harming healthy cells, thereby reducing side effects. After releasing a sufficient dose of radiation, doctors can then use the magnetic field to close the capsule. (The capsule can be made of metal to prevent radiation leakage.)
The researchers pointed out that this technology could also be used to create medical implants that change over time. For example, after a patient recovers, doctors could use magnetic fields to alter the shape of the implant to better fit the patient’s body. The researchers plan to develop small magnetic field emitters to control the micromagnetic robots and use imaging technologies such as X-ray emitters or ultrasound scanners to observe the positions of these devices within the human body.
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