Medical Design Briefs - November 2022 - 28

n Tiny Swimming Robots
Treat Deadly Pneumonia
in Mice
n Robot Sleeves Help Kids with
Cerebral Palsy
Illustration of microrobots entering
the lungs to treat pneumonia.
(Credit: Wang lab/UC San Diego)
Nanoengineers have developed
microscopic robots
that can swim around in the
lungs and deliver medication,
and it cab be used to clear up
life-threatening cases of bacterial
pneumonia. In mice, the
microrobots safely eliminated pneumonia-causing bacteria in
the lungs and resulted in 100 percent survival. By contrast, untreated
mice all died within three days after infection.
The microrobots are made of algae cells whose surfaces are
speckled with antibiotic-filled nanoparticles. The algae provide
movement, which allows the microrobots to swim around and
deliver antibiotics directly to more bacteria in the lungs. The
nanoparticles containing the antibiotics are made of tiny biodegradable
polymer spheres that are coated with the cell membranes
of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell.
The cell membranes absorb and neutralize inflammatory
molecules produced by bacteria and the body's immune system.
This gives the microrobots the ability to reduce harmful
inflammation, which in turn makes them more effective at
fighting lung infection.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1122/robots.
Precision matters.
Engineers are developing low-cost,
robotic clothing to help children
with cerebral palsy gain control over
their arm movements. The garments
will contain sealed, airtight regions
that can inflate, making them temporarily
rigid and providing the
force for movement.
Concept image of proposed
assistive device. (Jonathan
Realmuto/UCR)
The project will focus not only on
constructing the robot, but also on
developing the algorithms that teach
the machine to predict movements that the wearer wants to
execute. The researchers want a volitional controller, so the robot
behaves in terms of what the human wants to do.
One aspect of such a controller is using a variety of small
sensors on the sleeves to detect small voltages generated by
muscles when they contract. These sensors will feed the voltage
data into an algorithm that will be trained to extract the wearer's
intention from them.
Using widely available textiles, rather than traditional, rigid
materials will likely keep the cost of the sleeves low. In addition,
the team intends to minimize the use of sophisticated electronics,
which will also help reduce overall costs for patients.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1122/sleeves.
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28
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Medical Design Briefs, November 2022
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Medical Design Briefs - November 2022

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