Robots inside?

Metin Sitti is developing tiny robots with magnetic capabilities for medical purposes that are virtually invisible to the naked eye. One day they will circulate in our bloodstreams to diagnose diseases and, if possible, treat them immediately on the spot.
Completely wireless, they can be imaged in the MRI via an electromagnetic field and thus stimulated and precisely controlled from the outside. The hope is for lifesavers, curing diseases that are currently incurable or difficult to cure, as well as fewer side effects. A minimally invasive revolution?

Prof. Dr. Metin Sitti is director of the Physical Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart and teaches at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). His research was named Breakthrough of the Year in the Engineering and Technology category at the Falling Walls Conference in Berlin in 2020. The ETH researcher’s microrobots open up new possibilities for non-invasive medical diagnosis and treatment.

Language: English

As part of the International Science Festival – Geist Heidelberg.