Intelligent and upgraded swallowable and digestible robot will bring drugs into human intestine

[science and technology trends of China Pharmaceutical network] robots have a growing impact on human beings They can not only help doctors perform surgery, but also help patients maintain their heartbeat Recently, researchers from the Intelligent System Laboratory of the Federal Institute of technology in Lausanne, Switzerland (hereinafter referred to as "EPFL") introduced a more magical automatic actuator that can be swallowed and digested It is made of gelatin, which can enter the human intestinal tract, release the drugs and complete some medical tasks The so-called actuator refers to the part of the mechanical device responsible for driving the movement Unlike metal joinery, which is usually driven by an electric motor, these devouring gelatin actuators rely on internal air, liquid, and reactive chemicals to move The research team said that there are many swallowable electronic products on the market, which can let the batteries, chips or cameras in the products enter and pass through the digestive tract safely and smoothly If their gelatin actuator can be combined with these advanced technologies, a fully swallowable automatic device will be developed one day Dario floreano, the head of the lab, said in an interview that by then, those automatic devices will be able to bring drugs into the intestine safely, and move around to apply drugs to ensure the stability needed in the intestine As for the specifications, the researchers say the length is about three to five centimeters If the two are put together, they can also be used as clamps Christopher Bettinger is a professor from Carnegie Mellon University in the United States He mainly studies biomedical engineering and materials science He pointed out that gelatin was the right choice for the automatic swallowable device Because the capsule on the market now is made of gelatin, so it is very safe to use gelatin Last year, Bettinger has led a research team to develop an edible gelatin battery He added: "because the gastrointestinal tract and tissues are very soft and slippery, and there are a lot of gases, this same soft gas device is just in line with it." According to floreano, their actuators are completely digestible, with the exception of any electronic components This is not the same as other edible electronic products, such as the battery developed by Bettinger above Because the latter can not be digested by the human body, it needs to be discharged out of the human system eventually EPFL researchers say they have reached a partnership with Cole H? Teli è re de Lausanne, a school of culinary and hotel management in Switzerland, to combine food and gelatin actuators so that people can enjoy delicious food while allowing the actuators to work in the gastrointestinal tract Although the actuator is still in the early stage of development, floreano's team has spent a year on this project.