Scientists have developed microrobots the size of a grain of sand, designed to navigate the human bloodstream. Controlled by external magnets, this allows medical doctors to guide the robots through the body and reach the targeted area i.e., tumors or damaged organs.

Combatting Medical Issues

One of the biggest hurdles in modern medicine are “off-target effects.” Common issues in treatments like chemotherapy, it is when powerful drugs inherently damage healthy tissue while traveling through the body. Using the microrobots can allow for more potent dosages to be specifically targeted in locations.

Using external magnets allow for a non-invasive way to steer robots, increasing precision of the medicine. The ability to manually steer the robot is significantly important when it comes to harder-to-navigate treatments such as aggressive brain cancers, aneurysms, or arteriovenous malformations.

Reviving Past-Used Drugs

This new technology allows scientists to look back at experimental medicines that have failed previous clinical trials. While experimental drugs could have previously aided in treating the disease, the delivery of the treatment could have been an issue.

While this technology is still new in its development, microrobots display a promising future in surgical medicine.

Sources: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025/11/19/robot-drugs-side-effects-magnets/