~This essay was recently entered in EngineerGirl’s 2009 essay contest: Imagine That! Competitors were asked to select one from three given images of technology and evaluate their chosen image.~
(My chosen image)
I believe that the third image presented is an image of a microrobot, or in other words, a small robot whose dimensions range from around ½ a millimeter to a few millimeters. I think the most probable purposes of the microrobot would be targeted drug delivery and treating certain diseases. Drug delivery through microrobots would include the robot entering the human body and controlling the location and amount of the delivered drug. Microrobots could also effectively treat diseases by penetrating our bodies and helping with numerous surgical procedures.
Targeted drug delivery is a concept currently being explored by colleges including the University of Arizona. The university describes how targeted drug delivery systems are greatly needed in growing biomedical engineering fields. They believe microrobots could significantly improve drug delivery in procedures such as intraocular surgery. Surgeons often make errors when handling the difficult surgery of the human eye. Doctors could be helped in similar situations through the precise use of microtechnology.
Located in Australia, the Monash University has decided to take a slightly different approach to microtechnology. They have performed research on medical procedures with microrobots that involve a more technical procedure: brain surgery. Existing technology, an associate professor has explained, is inaccurate when dealing with blood clots in the brain. Doctors have difficulty using catheters, tubes necessary for operation on the brain. Catheters are troublesome because they are too cumbersome and bulky to really be accurate. Almost half the time, doctors accidently puncture the arteries near the blood clot. The Monash University’s microrobots can be attached to the end of the catheter and be remotely controlled by electrical wires that run through the catheters. Because of this, the microrobots are able to flawlessly move throughout the bloodstream.
One of the most important aspects of the designed picture is the shape of the design. Microrobots currently being studied and produced are formed in the shape of flagella-propelled bacteria and modeled after bacteria such as E. coli. Through its man-made flagellum, a microrobot would be able to maneuver itself very accurately through the body much more than any other technology. Having this incredible maneuvering process helps the robots move very precisely while performing their actions. Both universities described have researched attaching flagella onto their robots.
In conclusion, I believe the third image depicted is a designed photograph of a microrobot. In the future, microrobots such as the ones shown will be able to participate in many medical procedures such as targeted drug delivery and assisting doctors in treating diseases. The shape and features of such robots will also be incredibly valuable in making new advances in biomedical technology and microrobotics.
Bibliography
“Advanced Micro and Nanosystems Laboratory – Micro-Robotics.” Advanced Micro and Nanosystems Laboratory – Welcome. 01 Mar. 2009 <http://nano.arizona.edu/pages/research/micro-robotics.php>.
Zukerman, Wendy. “Monash developing medical micro-robots, Monash University.” Faculty of Engineering, Monash University. 17 Sept. 1008. 01 Mar. 2009 <http://www.eng.monash.edu.au/news/archive/2008/micro-robots.html>.