Visits to the dentist are usually cumbersome and expensive, but the latest development from a team of engineers, dentists and biologists from the University of Pennsylvania have designed a crew of microrobots that can be deployed and controlled to remove the buildup of plaque between the teeth and gums. That is right, scraping and scratching with mechanical tools is not the only methods via which dental clean-ups can be performed.
The scientists have developed two different types of robotic systems for entirely varied purposes. One of them works on open surfaces, whereas the other system is designed specifically to operate inside closed spaces. The researchers showcased the [...]
Medical advancements are occurring side-by-side with the progress in science and technology. Recently, using 3D printers, scientists developed a self-healing rubber material, which can be used in objects to make them last a lifetime. In other news, a fully-functioning heart was also printed using a 3D printer. All these achievements make one wonder about the limits of medical science, and for the right reasons, since MIT engineers have engineered tiny micro robots that can help nanoparticles reach unaccessible targets in the human body and administer the necessary drugs.
Challenges FacedOne of the biggest challenges while delivering drugs via nanoparticles is the exit [...]
Inventors and scientists have been continuously working towards reducing the size of technological components. Room-sized computers to laptops that are slimmer than a pane of glass? It’s done. Huge bulky telephones to smartphones that can fulfil a lot more? A thing of the past. The real question is, to what extent can all this go? Will we see smartphones that can be embedded in human bodies? Or is there more to it?
Nanotechnology has been around for a while now. It is a branch of technology so minuscule that it can operate on a microscopic level. And what’s more, it can be programmed to do whatever is desired of it. Richard Feynman was the physicist who first gave [...]
Its time to ditch those bulky and rigid health sensors and make way for much more comfortable and wearable electronics. While there have been lot of skin based wearables which monitor heart rate and other vital health signals, Scientists have come up with a new lightweight, super stretchy tech which can be directly attached onto the skin for more sensitive and precise measurements with durability as an added plus. This ultra thin and stretchable gold nano-mesh is the latest development in the wearable tech department. Scientists have created a stretchable electronic film that could monitor health by being attached to our skin. Like straight out of a sci-fi movie, this tech is capable [...]
Nanotechnology is the study and use of incredibly small components and structures. The word small is an over-estimation -these components are no more than 2 nanometres (the width of a strand of DNA), or 50 thousand times smaller than human hair. Yes, we are talking tiny.
Needless to say, it is one of the most interesting things about the world of tech and holds immense promise for the future. However, there is a flipside to it -the line between harvesting the enormous power of nanotechnology and letting it overcome humanity is thin and easy to blur. This notion has been explored deeply in video games, art, and has begun to spark off debates in real life lately. Here’s a [...]
