Acoustic Communication for Medical Nanorobots

Communication among microscopic robots (nanorobots) can coordinate their activities for biomedical tasks. The feasibility of in vivo ultrasonic communication is evaluated for micron-size robots broadcasting into various types of tissues. Frequencies between 10MHz and 300MHz give the best tradeoff between efficient acoustic generation and attenuation for communication over distances of about 100 microns. Based on these results, we find power available from ambient oxygen and glucose in the bloodstream can readily support communication rates of about 10,000 bits/second between micron-sized robots. We discuss techniques, such as directional acoustic beams, that can increase this rate. The acoustic pressure fields enabling this communication are unlikely to damage nearby tissue, and short bursts at considerably higher power could be of therapeutic use.Comment: added discussion of communication channel capacity in section

Acoustic Communication for Medical Nanorobots

Communication among microscopic robots (nanorobots) can coordinate their activities for biomedical tasks. The feasibility of in vivo ultrasonic communication is evaluated for micron-size robots broadcasting into various types of tissues. Frequencies between 10MHz and 300MHz give the best tradeoff between efficient acoustic generation and attenuation for communication over distances of about 100 microns. Based on these results, we find power available from ambient oxygen and glucose in the bloodstream can readily support communication rates of about 10,000 bits/second between micron-sized robots. We discuss techniques, such as directional acoustic beams, that can increase this rate. The acoustic pressure fields enabling this communication are unlikely to damage nearby tissue, and short bursts at considerably higher power could be of therapeutic use.Comment: added discussion of communication channel capacity in section

Chemical Power for Microscopic Robots in Capillaries

The power available to microscopic robots (nanorobots) that oxidize bloodstream glucose while aggregated in circumferential rings on capillary walls is evaluated with a numerical model using axial symmetry and time-averaged release of oxygen from passing red blood cells. Robots about one micron in size can produce up to several tens of picowatts, in steady-state, if they fully use oxygen reaching their surface from the blood plasma. Robots with pumps and tanks for onboard oxygen storage could collect oxygen to support burst power demands two to three orders of magnitude larger. We evaluate effects of oxygen depletion and local heating on surrounding tissue. These results give the power constraints when robots rely entirely on ambient available oxygen and identify aspects of the robot design significantly affecting available power. More generally, our numerical model provides an approach to evaluating robot design choices for nanomedicine treatments in and near capillaries.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figure

Opto-Ultrasonic Communications in Wireless Body Area Nanonetworks

Abstract—Wirelessly interconnected nanorobots, i.e., engineered devices of sizes ranging from one to a few hundred nanometers, are promising revolutionary diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications that could enhance the treatment of major diseases. Each nanorobot is usually designed to perform a set of basic tasks such as sensing and actuation. A dense wireless network of nano-devices, i.e., a nanonetwork, could potentially accomplish new and more complex functionalities, e.g., in-vivo monitoring or adaptive drug-delivery, thus enabling revolutionary nanomedicine applications. Several innovative communication paradigms to enable nanonetworks have been proposed in the last few years, including electromagnetic communications in the terahertz band, or molecular and neural communications. In this paper, we propose and discuss an alternative approach based on establishing intrabody opto-ultrasonic communications among nanorobots. Optoultrasonic communications are based on the optoacoustic effect, which enables the generation of high-frequency acoustic waves by irradiating the medium with electromagnetic energy in the optical frequency range. We first discuss the fundamentals of nanoscale opto-ultrasonic communications in biological tissues, and then we model the generation, propagation, and detection of opto-ultrasonic waves. I

A REVIEW ON DNA NANOBOTS – A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR CANCER TREATMENT

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases of this century. Tedious and painful radiation therapy and chemotherapy are administered using many drugs including antitumor antibiotics, which cause a lot of side effects. As an alternate, DNA nanorobots serve as a potential cancer treatment technique which is very much safer than other therapies and acts specifically as well. DNA nanobots are said to set a new milestone in the development of medical studies. The primary objective of this bot is to target and eliminate cancer cells from the human body. These bots are made of a single strand of DNA folded into the desired shape. The bots will have two states - an off†position, where the clamshells are closed tightly to bypass healthy cells without any damage and an on†position, where the clamshell opens up to expose cancerous cells to the drug so that the drug can do its job to eliminate the cancer cell. This novel idea will be actively used within the public when it passes its first human trial. In this review, we focus on eliminating cancer cells. Since the bot can be programmed and is capable enough to carry a payload, it can also be used to cure any other diseases as a secondary target. Creation of nanobots has been under progress already and may come within the public after an estimated time of 5 years

Using Surface-Motions for Locomotion of Microscopic Robots in Viscous Fluids

Microscopic robots could perform tasks with high spatial precision, such as acting in biological tissues on the scale of individual cells, provided they can reach precise locations. This paper evaluates the feasibility of in vivo locomotion for micron-size robots. Two appealing methods rely only on surface motions: steady tangential motion and small amplitude oscillations. These methods contrast with common microorganism propulsion based on flagella or cilia, which are more likely to damage nearby cells if used by robots made of stiff materials. The power potentially available to robots in tissue supports speeds ranging from one to hundreds of microns per second, over the range of viscosities found in biological tissue. We discuss design trade-offs among propulsion method, speed, power, shear forces and robot shape, and relate those choices to robot task requirements. This study shows that realizing such locomotion requires substantial improvements in fabrication capabilities and material properties over current technology.Comment: 14 figures and two Quicktime animations of the locomotion methods described in the paper, each showing one period of the motion over a time of 0.5 milliseconds; version 2 has minor clarifications and corrected typo

Modeling and Mathematical Analysis of Swarms of Microscopic Robots

The biologically-inspired swarm paradigm is being used to design self-organizing systems of locally interacting artificial agents. A major difficulty in designing swarms with desired characteristics is understanding the causal relation between individual agent and collective behaviors. Mathematical analysis of swarm dynamics can address this difficulty to gain insight into system design. This paper proposes a framework for mathematical modeling of swarms of microscopic robots that may one day be useful in medical applications. While such devices do not yet exist, the modeling approach can be helpful in identifying various design trade-offs for the robots and be a useful guide for their eventual fabrication. Specifically, we examine microscopic robots that reside in a fluid, for example, a bloodstream, and are able to detect and respond to different chemicals. We present the general mathematical model of a scenario in which robots locate a chemical source. We solve the scenario in one-dimension and show how results can be used to evaluate certain design decisions.Comment: 2005 IEEE Swarm Intelligence Symposium, Pasadena, CA June 200

Micro/nanoscale magnetic robots for biomedical applications

Magnetic small-scale robots are devices of great potential for the biomedical field because of the several benefits of this method of actuation. Recent work on the development of these devices has seen tremendous innovation and refinement toward ​improved performance for potential clinical applications. This review briefly details recent advancements in small-scale robots used for biomedical applications, covering their design, fabrication, applications, and demonstration of ability, and identifies the gap in studies and the difficulties that have persisted in the optimization of the use of these devices. In addition, alternative biomedical applications are also suggested for some of the technologies that show potential for other functions. This study concludes that although the field of small-scale robot research is highly innovative ​there is need for more concerted efforts to improve functionality and reliability of these devices particularly in clinical applications. Finally, further suggestions are made toward ​the achievement of commercialization for these devices

Programmable Control of Ultrasound Swarmbots through Reinforcement Learning

Powered by acoustics, existing therapeutic and diagnostic procedures will become less invasive and new methods will become available that have never been available before. Acoustically driven microrobot navigation based on microbubbles is a promising approach for targeted drug delivery. Previous studies have used acoustic techniques to manipulate microbubbles in vitro and in vivo for the delivery of drugs using minimally invasive procedures. Even though many advanced capabilities and sophisticated control have been achieved for acoustically powered microrobots, there remain many challenges that remain to be solved. In order to develop the next generation of intelligent micro/nanorobots, it is highly desirable to conduct accurate identification of the micro-nanorobots and to control their dynamic motion autonomously. Here we use reinforcement learning control strategies to learn the microrobot dynamics and manipulate them through acoustic forces. The result demonstrated for the first time autonomous acoustic navigation of microbubbles in a microfluidic environment. Taking advantage of the benefit of the second radiation force, microbubbles swarm to form a large swarm, which is then driven along the desired trajectory. More than 100 thousand images were used for the training to study the unexpected dynamics of microbubbles. As a result of this work, the microrobots are validated to be controlled, illustrating a good level of robustness and providing computational intelligence to the microrobots, which enables them to navigate independently in an unstructured environment without requiring outside assistance