What Are Nanobots? Uses and How Do They Work

No medical invention has not been able to solve a root anomaly completely - reducing the sensation of prick or pain during surgical procedures. But as every industry has now turned to artificial intelligence to pilot new methods of innovation, medical and healthcare are not just discovering painless treatments, but also speedy patient recovery. Methodologies like nanobots, powered with machine learning operationalization software, are now being used to treat terminal ailments like leukaemia and offer painless immunotherapies. 

By automating programs and powering nano devices, the nanobots can be a painless way for drug delivery. Let's learn more about nanobots in detail.

Nanobots, or nano robots are microbots that are indeed real and measurable, but they are not visible to the naked eye. Measuring between 50 and 100 nanometers, they are smaller than one-hundredth the width of a human hair. Despite their minuscule size, nanobots can transmit electrical signals from an external computer to our organs, guided by relevant training data.

These remarkable machines can navigate through our bodies seamlessly, akin to tiny drug carriers. They follow the principle of "inertia precedes viscosity" to locate specific cells and identify any anomalies. Additionally, nanobots can serve as autonomous surgical assistants, performing procedures without human intervention.

History of nanobots

Scientists always had a "nano-perception" towards inventions.

Medical science was the first ever industry to discover and implement nanobots for human and brain-imaging. Other sectors like mining, construction, industrial safety, electronics, and automotive implemented nanotech much later, mainly to automate time-bound and industrial safety tasks.

For many years, the advancement and conceptualization of nanobots were the sole purview of science fiction and academic theory. However, recent innovations have brought writers' contemplations to life, as seen in the physicist Richard Feynman's research in the 1960s. 

While delivering his speech,  "Plenty of Room in the Bottom", Dr. Feynman touched on the topic of nanoscience in medicine. He spoke about ways in which the derivatives and hybrids of nanoparticles can act as excellent drug delivery, AI biosensing, and molecular computation.

Later, in 1986, K. Eric Drexler wrote the book "Engines of Creation" in which he specifically pointed out how nanobots work well in response to environmental changes. He broke down the structure of a functional nanobot device into switches, sensors, and motors that detected diseases of the human body. He also defined nanobots as complex, but human-friendly gadgets that can break the infectious supply of germs.

Nanobots components

Nanobots need to be compatible with the kind of external energy they receive. If you want nanobots to emit magnetic energy, you have to charge them before using electromagnetism. For light substitutes, nanobots are carved out of metal, which is an excellent reflector of light. Carbon and iron are usually used to design nanobots, as they are malleable and biodegradable.

Compatible software, mainly a supervised machine learning algorithm, is necessary for nanobots to work accurately. Such software data models can help design bio-sensors that detect obstacles in the range of over 1 mm.

Ribosomes are the classic example of biological machines at the nanoscale

Sub-parts of a nanobot include:

• A payload is an empty section within nanobots that holds a specific drug or antidote that travels through the blood and reverses the injury.
• A micro-camera that holds a baton for the nanobot to travel within the human tract without bumping into obstacles.
• The capacitor mixes nanobots with blood electrolytes to generate electric energy, cutting off cancerous cells' supply.
• Laser rays, emitted by nanobots, can burn harmful material like the plague, blood clots, or cysts.
• Ultrasonic signal generators produce electric impulses to aid in the detection of kidney stones or gallstones.
• The flagellum, or swimming tail, is a part of nanobots that control their movements as they traverse through the human body.

The surface of nanorobots may be chemically processed to enhance stability, solubility, and biocompatibility properties or to give the ability to detect variations in the surrounding environment’s status. 

Scientists are currently working to build conventional robots at the scale of nanobots. However, roboticists who want to create fully autonomous machines in the human body face severe challenges.

Nanobots types

As nanobots operate on a microscopic scale, it’s crucial to have a professional carry out the entire process. Nanobots are a form of nanotechnology that forms the crux of many recent inventions, like self-driven cars, security tracking systems, intelligent window cleaning, and robotic vacuum cleaning.

Some types of nanobots include:

• Nanoswimmers: These are artificial microscopic organisms that can swim across the human body. Similar to night emissions, they travel slowly and steadily without stopping anywhere in between. Because of their slow propulsion and low viscosity, nano swimmers can be trusted as excellent medication delivery systems.
• Nanomachines: Nanomachines are tiny robots that consume low energy to produce high volatility. These specialized devices can be injected into living organisms to calculate the number of toxins and pathogens in blood, so patients receive the right treatments.

• Nanowires: Thin, rod-like wires that measure around 1 nanometer in diameter. Nanowires are used in different electronic devices to transfer electrons. They connect other systems, which can be helpful during chemotherapy for cancer patients.
  

• Ribosomes: A ribosome is a natural nanobot that occurs in large quantities inside the human body. It is a molecular nanostructure that produces RNA to create amino acids essential for good gut health and stamina. Ribosomes operate in the human body at all times, driving the myriad functions of cells that give us life. 

• Nubots: Nubots are "nucleic acid robots", manufactured robotic devices constructed on a micrometer scale. These systems are so thin that they can travel through the human endoplasmic tract and detect viruses that damage our red blood cells.
• Carbon nanotubes: Nanotubes made out of carbon molecules are used to complete a nanobot's electric circuit. These tubes extend the body of nanobots by forming polymer-like structures. Because they are good conductors of heat, they are used in aerospace engineering to reduce the stress and weight of aircraft components. 

Nanobots vs. robots vs. xenobiotics

Nanobots, xenobiotics, and robots are all derivatives of nanotechnology that cater to different purposes. While various industries use nanobots and xenobiotics, exploring other applications to design future robots might take a while.

Nanobots are artificially produced microscopic systems that can receive, process, and transfer information in response to an external energy stimulus. With less energy consumption and more throughput, nanobots surpass any conventional methods of biomedical applications. 

Besides healthcare, nanotechnology has helped many business spheres to speed up their design, testing, and cleaning processes without any manual intervention.

Robots are post-fabricated versions of nanobots that automatically execute tasks based on human commands or gestures. A successful use case of robots is robotic vacuum cleaners, which use object detection to move around your house, clean floors, and collect garbage. 

Robots are generally manipulated by an external control device, enabling them to complete all tasks in less time than humans.

Xenobiotics are micro-sized systems, devices, or living organisms programmed to perform some desired action. Currently, xenobiotics are found in antibiotics that kill viruses.

How do nanobots work?

The nanobots we have access to today function by responding to external stimuli, such as chemical reactions, temperature, or radio waves. 

Before understanding the working principle of nanobots, you must understand that nanobots are a technology of the future, not the present. Though we've entered an era of digital transformation, it will still take time, resources, and money to bring nanobots into force globally.

Below are some of the primary forms that nanobots can take with today's technology:

Switch

Nanobots switch their function from an "off" position to an "on" position through conformational changes in a machine. Nanobots have mechanical switches, similar to switching on or off a fan. These switch functions enable nanobots to self-assemble and accomplish their necessary tasks.

Using temperature, UV light, or chemical reactions, scientists can force these nanorobotic switches into specific positions to accomplish a task.

Motor

A nanomotor or micromotor is more complex than a nanorobotic switch and can use external energy to generate physical movement in the surrounding molecules.

Shuttle

 A shuttle is a nano device that transports specific drugs or chemicals to a determined place. It is injected into a human vein to study patterns of blood tissues. Scientists are currently working to pair these with nanomotors so that there’s greater control over how they travel during vascular processes.

Car

This is the most cutting-edge nanodevice: it looks like a conventional car, just really small. It has four wheels and can move independently in response to light or electricity. The trick is steering them in the right direction once they get going.

Nanorobotic cars are based on nanomotors. However, the propulsion of nanomotors needs greater control.

The eventual goal of these various nanorobotic components is to create collective nanomachines that work together to complete goals on a macro-scale, much like a group of ants moves objects or overcomes obstacles.

What are nanobots used for?

Nanobots are much tinier than human cells at a micrometer scale, which is one-millionth of a meter. They comprise multiple molecular systems that perform a specific action. For this reason, nanobots are employed widely in the oncology department of medical science to detect dangerous tumors and cancer therapy. They could be programmed to repair specific diseased cells. They'd work in a way similar to antibodies in our natural healing processes

Nanobots are also used as blood thinners and oxygen suppliers. Nanobots can also produce oxygen singlets via X-rays and improve blood circulation for body parts that don't receive enough blood oxygen (eye and heart muscles).

Unlike common drugs that must move through the entire body before reaching a particular cell, nanobots initially target the cell. Electric microchips within a nanobot can combine with human tissues during incisions to capture and monitor blood sugar levels in your system.

Nanobots are also used for smart vaccines, digital therapy, capsule endoscopy, and organ transplants.

Benefits of nanobots

Rapid nanobot improvements may sound like something straight out of a movie, but these innovations are a technological milestone. There are several ways in which these self-charged structures can benefit humankind, mentioned as follows:

• Nanobots will be a durable way to build immunities lasting for years or decades.
• Nanobots work on the principle of nanoengineering, a self-assist discipline that works with natural energy and artificial intelligence to optimize work accuracy.
• Nanobots have an adaptive mechanism that adjusts to a particular scenario and produces specific alternatives.
• Nanobots are still evolving and are expected to replace manual operations and surgeries.
• Nanobots can float through our arteries, improve blood circulation, and repair or replace damaged cells.
• Nanobots can eradicate diseases such as cancer, cardiac ailments, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, Parkinson's, or Alzheimer's disease.
• Nanobots can scan each body cell for cancerous tendencies, which our natural immune system cannot do.
• Nanobots are used in the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process to fertilize eggs outside the body.
• Nanobots are also used to perform neuroimaging – CAT scans or MRIs – to study the condition of the central nervous system.

Challenges of nanobots

Medical companies want to adapt nanobots into their pharmaceutical process to design better cures. However, it isn't as flowery as it seems. Blending complex algorithmic expressions with medical science is a tricky affair. But some high-level challenges stand in the way of a nano-powered future. 

• Learning about potential applications: Nanotechnology requires studying materials to their tiniest detail and designing microscopic systems to run more extensive processes. While this strategy can optimize business outcomes much faster, manufacturing might be challenging.
• Destruction: Nanobots can create ballistic machinery or emplacements, destroying ecosystems. Nanotechnology can give way to thousands and thousands of acres of nuclear annihilation and even end humankind. For this reason, it’s imperative to consider all the use cases of nanotechnology before using it.
• Self-replication: Using artificial nanobots as a virus remedy can backfire in case a new variant develops. Nanobots must be produced, programmed, and designed with the correct expertise to fight against viruses. An absence of either might result in the uncontrollable self-replication of nanobots, resulting in a bigger problem than the virus itself.
  
• DNA hacking: Nanobots can intelligently trick the human body into producing unwanted immunity cells through DNA hacking. Collision of the nanoparticles with existing cell tissues can result in excessive internal injuries or bleeding, which may go unnoticed.
  
• Economic slowdown: The advent of nanotechnology would make computers efficient enough to work independently. Nanosystems that can process and deliver critical messages to the target would wipe out the need for the human workforce. The absence of specialized staff could result in global unemployment and slow the economic wheel.
• Robotic apocalypse: Nanobots are a precursor to a frightening robotic apocalypse. Malfunctioning during nanobot production can pull out dangerous cards that can activate a mechanical action. As nanobots can design improvements to themselves a trillion times in the presence of energy, leaving them unattended could wreak havoc.

Applications of nanobots in medicine

Nanobots are used in different fields of medicine and space exploration. In the automobile sector, they create lighter and more flexible engines. In the pharmaceutical industry, chemical molecules react in the presence of nano-energy to produce new medicines. Researchers are using their expertise to examine nanobots at every stage of the drug development pipeline to ensure no mistake occurs.

But there are even more nanobot medical breakthroughs for you to learn about!

DNA origami

Re-adjusting human DNA into specific two- and three-dimensional shapes through heating is known as DNA origami. Paul Rothemund was the first US scientist to develop a way to fold DNA into patterns and shapes of nanometers. 

One of the best examples of how this works can be found in the work of the cancer-fighting nanobots developed by a Chinese roboticist in mid-2018. After injecting mice with human cancer cells, the roboticists used DNA origami to build nanobots which were later loaded with a blood-clotting drug intended to cut off the blood supply of the cancer cells.

Source: Research gate

Gene therapy

Gene therapy is delivered through nanotechnology to treat muscular disorders. Nanobots are a form of theranostic device ( providing digital imaging of human cells) that can display the current condition of the affected muscles and what kind of replacement surgery they require. 

Nanorobotics surgeries

Nanorobotics would be widely implemented in the future to replace expensive surgical procedures. Small nanodevices can travel inside our bodies to perform procedures, making them much faster and less painful.

Using nanobots as an effective mode of conducting surgeries will also reduce the chances of failure or rebound surgeries. 

Smart vaccination

Smart vaccination is an intelligent nanobot technology that strengthens the human immune system. A great example is the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which uses iron nanoparticles to transport RNA molecules into the human body.

These nanoparticle delivery vehicles transfer the chemical load to our white blood cells (WBC). As the load gets transferred, the WBC makes proteins similar to the new coronavirus' spiked structure, which enables them to identify and stop virus mutation.

Epidemic hazard

Nanobots can be used to chemically test viruses and prevent the spread of diseases. They can be loaded with biosensors that act as little computers to capture the faintest hint of a deadly virus in no time. As the sensors interpret the virus, they transmit the electromagnetic signals back to the laboratory, which tests and confirms the presence of a virus.

The information is delivered via cloud computing to areas without the infrastructure or specific labs to alert the public.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on nanobots

Q. What do nanobots look like?

Nanobots are tiny, microscopic machines. Their design varies depending on their specific functions, often resembling miniature robots with complex shapes for navigation in biological systems.

Q. How long do nanobots last in the body?

The lifespan of nanobots in the body varies based on their design and purpose. Some are intended for temporary use and degrade within hours or days, while others may remain longer to monitor health conditions or deliver drugs.

Q. How big are nanobots?

Nanobots typically range from 1 to 100 nanometers in size, making them much smaller than a human cell. This tiny size allows them to navigate and perform tasks at the cellular level.

Q. Who invented nanobots?

No single individual invented nanobots, but K. Eric Drexler is a key figure in their conceptualization, popularizing the idea of molecular machines in his 1986 book "Engines of Creation." Since then, various scientists have contributed to the development of nanobots in nanotechnology.

Spilling the nano-beans! 

Nanobots haven't been employed on a broad commercial scale, mostly because the horizon is still unexplored. Yet, experts reckon that it has the potential to win significant battles for humankind.

From self-healing to providing humans with night vision capabilities, nanobots could become the tiniest blessing in disguise for biotechnology success.

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This article was originally published in 2022. It has been updated with new information.