Magnet-powered microrobots could soon swim through your bloodstream

They're steered using magnets, like tiny remote-controlled bubbles zooming through your bloodstream

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Scientists have developed a microrobot that can deliver medicine exactly where it’s needed using magnets, according to a recent study from Swiss university ETH Zurich.

This new technology could enable doctors to dissolve the blockages that cause strokes, treat infections with antibiotics, and deliver anticancer medication directly to tumours, without causing side effects elsewhere in the body.

The robot consists of a tiny spherical capsule, made of a dissolvable gel and iron oxide nanoparticles, which are added to make it magnetic. The scientists can track the robot using X-ray technology.