Filenews 24 November 2025
Scientists in Switzerland have created a tiny robot that is the size of a grain of sand and can deliver drugs at a precise location to the human body, a huge scientific achievement that aims to reduce the serious side effects due to which many drugs do not proceed in clinical trials.
The robot is controlled with magnets and a surgeon can easily operate it with a simple tool, not too different from the PlayStation controller, with the help of electromagnetic coils around the patient. The magnetic field created is so strong that it moves the capsule even when it moves against the blood flow.
"This is the tip of the iceberg," Bradley Nelson, one of the authors of the study published in Science and a professor of robotics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, told The Washington Post. "I think surgeons will have a lot of ideas on how to use it," he added.
"The capsule may be useful in treating aneurysms, very aggressive brain cancers and malformations in vessels and arteries," Nelson said. Its difference with other drugs under trial is that they diffuse throughout the body and are not limited to the point of interest. Due to this, various side effects are also caused that force the clinical trials of these drugs to stop.
The capsules are made of human-friendly materials, such as tantalum, which is also used in X-rays.
So far, tests have been done on pigs and anatomy models made of soft silicone, while clinical trials are estimated to be 3 to 5 years from today.
