14 votes

Swarms of tiny nose robots could clear infected sinuses, researchers say

9 comments

  1. Minori
    Link
    Calling them robots isn't wrong, but it's kind of misleading. They seem to be magnetic particles with engineered surfaces which respond to chemical stimuli. Still extremely cool.

    The latest breakthrough, based on animal rather than human trials, involves magnetic particles “doped” with copper atoms which clinicians insert with a catheter before guiding to their target under a magnetic field.

    Calling them robots isn't wrong, but it's kind of misleading. They seem to be magnetic particles with engineered surfaces which respond to chemical stimuli. Still extremely cool.

    15 votes
  2. [4]
    polle
    Link
    Can't wait for vibe coded nanobots to travel up the wrong tube and melt my brain instead of my sinuses!

    Can't wait for vibe coded nanobots to travel up the wrong tube and melt my brain instead of my sinuses!

    14 votes
    1. [3]
      JCPhoenix
      Link Parent
      You'll have to pay to have that feature turned off.

      You'll have to pay to have that feature turned off.

      7 votes
      1. [2]
        mild_takes
        Link Parent
        Also they're what we call "forever" nanobots so its more of a recurring subscription than a one time thing.

        Also they're what we call "forever" nanobots so its more of a recurring subscription than a one time thing.

        7 votes
        1. chocobean
          Link Parent
          Oh nice my brain is now eligible for ransomware

          Oh nice my brain is now eligible for ransomware

          6 votes
  3. CannibalisticApple
    Link
    The idea of tiny little robots/particles entering the body is a bit freaky (especially with the mention of potential long-term effects if some are left behind), but the concept actually seems...

    The idea of tiny little robots/particles entering the body is a bit freaky (especially with the mention of potential long-term effects if some are left behind), but the concept actually seems pretty good to me. Right now they seem to mostly be testing it with sinus infections, but they're hoping to expand it to all sorts of internal infections (bladder, stomach, etc.). The article mentions they're hoping to use this treatment as an alternative to antibiotics, which is good since A) there's a fear of diseases evolving to be antibiotic resistant, and B) some people can't take antibiotics for whatever reason. And it sounds like this method may be more effective:

    “The main advantage with micro-robots is the targeting,” Martel said. “Instead of taking medicine that goes into the bloodstream and a small quantity goes to the right location, you can target.”

    Yeah, that sounds really good to me.

    Though it's both funny and sad that such a major concern in the article are working around the inevitable conspiracy theories.

    6 votes
  4. BeanBurrito
    Link
    Eschewing dairy product and other common allergens can possibly help too.

    Eschewing dairy product and other common allergens can possibly help too.

    1 vote
  5. BeanBurrito
    Link
    Reminds me of one of the lines from the old "Welcome Back Kotter" series: Up your nose with nano bots!

    Reminds me of one of the lines from the old "Welcome Back Kotter" series:

    "Up your nose with a rubber hose"

    Up your nose with nano bots!

    2 votes