Tiny Robots Race Against the Current

Tiny robots are making big waves in medicine. These little helpers, called microrobots, can move around without wires. They could one day help doctors treat patients without surgery. But there's a problem. Most microrobots are made from soft materials. They can't move well in fast-flowing blood. They also don't respond well to magnetic fields. This makes them hard to control. A new way to make microrobots might change that. Scientists created tiny robots with strong magnetic properties. They used a special printing method. First, they made molds with a 3D printer. Then, they filled the molds with a magnetic slurry. The result? Robots that move like tiny screws through water. These new microrobots are super fast. They can swim at speeds of up to 3 millimeters per second. That's 22. 6 times their body length every second. They can also move against the flow of blood. This is a big deal. It means they could one day travel through our blood vessels. They might even deliver medicine directly to where it's needed. But there's still work to do. Scientists need to make sure these robots are safe. They also need to figure out how to control them precisely. If they can do that, these tiny robots could revolutionize medicine.