
Pangolin-inspired robot delivers lifesaving treatments inside the body.
Scientists have developed a 1cm wide, 2cm long, and 0.2mm thick robot that can perform safe and minimally invasive medical procedures inside the body using a magnetically controlled folding and flexing structure. Inspired by the pangolin, the robots possess heating, shape-morphing, and rolling capabilities, and can release cargo onto tissues, which could be used to deliver drugs in the future. The robots could reach regions in the body that surgeons currently find hard to reach, including the stomach and small intestine.
