Injectable microrobot could develop bones to treat fractures

In a study published in the scientific journal Advanced Materials, researchers at the University of Linköping (Sweden) described the creation of a microrobot that can develop its own bones to help regenerate patients with bone fractures.

Injectable, the microrobot has a structure with alginate gel, a substance that can be found in seaweed. This gel can change size under a low voltage discharge. In addition to the ease of bending in a certain direction, when it is already inserted in the human body, the invention can also harden, as if it were a bone.

The idea behind this new invention is that the material can maneuver and expand between the spaces of bone fractures and, when it hardens, it can develop new bone and grow along with the others. To test how it works, the scientists used a chicken bone.

The researchers’ next task is to analyze how their properties work together with living cells, to arrive at a deeper understanding of the biocompatibility of the combination of materials. It so happens that, previously, the group identified a biomolecule that stimulated bone growth, which was the trigger for the development of the microrobot.

Recently, researchers at the University of Arizona (USA) announced the creation of a tiny device capable of monitoring bone health of a person. The proposal is somewhat reminiscent of this Linköping microrobot, as it has an adhesive with calcium particles and an atomic structure that makes the organism itself “think” that the device is part of the bones. Thus, it grows to the sensor itself, forming a permanent bond with the bone, monitored in the long term.

Source: Advanced Materials

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