World's Smallest Remote-Controlled 'Crab Robot' May Be Used To Perform Surgeries

Miniature remote-controlled robot crabs may be used in heart surgeries in the future, along with serving potential capabilities that include unclogging arteries, or dealing with cancerous tumours. The tiny robot that is smaller than even a flea can be remote controlled, and walks a lot like crabs.

According to its creators from Northwestern University, the miniature robot is the smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot. The study was published in the May 25 issue of peer-reviewed journal Science Robotics.

Even though the research involving the tiny crab robots is relatively new, it shows how tiny robots may be used to crawl, twist, bend, turn, and jump, USA Today reported. Scientists believe that this tiny robot could inspire the creation of similar robots capable of performing numerous functions.

Northwestern University

Heralding an era of tiny life-saving robots

“You might imagine micro-robots as agents to repair or assemble small structures or machines in industry or as surgical assistants to clear clogged arteries, to stop internal bleeding or to eliminate cancerous tumors – all in minimally invasive procedures,” John Rogers, a bioelectronics scientist who headed the study, said in a press release.

The tiny crab-like robot is made of a super-thin material involving silicon. It is also elastic - each time the robot is heated by a laser beam, its shape changes. It later cools down and can return to its original state.

Also read:?In A Rather Creepy Experiment, Scientists Grew Living Cells On A Robot Skeleton

Using a 3D pop-up book manufacturing method scientists developed on their own eight years ago, the tiny robots were created. According to Yonggang Huang, an engineering professor involved in the development of these robots, the tech "can walk with an average speed of half its body length per second."

Northwestern University

Such miniature robots may be used as microscopes to get a peek inside the human body. With the right materials, they may even used to treat patients with non-invasive methods.

Also read:?Soft Robotic Gloves Could Help People With Hand Injuries Feel And Hold Objects

What do you think about these tiny crab-like robots? Let us know in the comments below.?For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.

References

Snider, M. U. T. (2022, May 27). These miniature remote-controlled robot crabs may someday be used in heart surgeries. USA TODAY.?