Hardware Podcasts

Episode 89: Medicinal microrobots - Simone Schuerle

Robot Talk · 14 Jun 2024 · 23m · Episode 89

What this episode covers

Simone Schuerle, Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich and co-founder of MagnebotiX, discusses the design and application of magnetic microrobots for drug delivery and diagnostics. She explains how bio-inspired designs and magnetic actuation allow these devices to navigate blood vessels and penetrate tissue, addressing the challenge of targeted drug delivery in cancer therapy. Schuerle also details diagnostic microbubbles that detect enzyme activity via ultrasound and describes MagnebotiX’s electromagnetic control systems for wireless micromanipulation in research and pre-clinical settings.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
ETH Zurich, MagnebotiX
Tools
PET scan
Materials
hydrogels, magnetic nanoparticles, liposomes

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Next Byte Podcast · 23m

    75. Size Matters: Tiny Biomimicry Leads to Big Breakthroughs

    Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss biomimicry breakthroughs from the University of Washington and Harvard, focusing on dandelion-inspired sensors and microscale robotic cilia. The University of Washington team created 24-milligram solar-powered sensors using Microchip's A20 Tiny processor and Kapton parachutes to deploy environmental monitoring networks via drones. Meanwhile, Harvard researchers developed self-propelled cilia from photo-responsive liquid crystal elastomers, enabling complex, programmable motion for applications in drug delivery and physical encryption.

    Prototyping & iterationSensors & measurement in products
    8 chapters

  • The Next Byte Podcast · 15m

    217. Meet the World's Smallest Walking Robots

    Hosts Daniel and the co-host discuss a breakthrough from Cornell University researchers who created the world's smallest walking robot, measuring 2 to 5 microns wide—40 times smaller than their previous record. The robot is entirely magnetically controlled, using an array of nanoparticles with different magnetic properties to achieve inchworm-like motion without batteries or wires. The hosts highlight how the robot's mechanical bending acts as a diffractive lens, enabling both high-resolution imaging and force sensing at the tissue level for potential medical applications.

    Robotics & autonomySensors & measurement in products
    7 chapters

  • The Next Byte Podcast · 25m

    49. What Robots Can Learn from Starfish and Falcons

    Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss biomimicry in robotics, starting with a video of Grant Imahara visiting Carnegie Mellon University to explore bio-inspired robots like the snake robot. They then detail a starfish larva-inspired micro-robot developed at ETH Zurich that uses ultrasonic waves for targeted drug delivery, and a Peregrine Falcon-inspired drone landing system called 'Snag' developed by Stanford graduates at the University of Groningen.

    Robotics & autonomyPrototyping & iteration
    4 chapters

  • The Next Byte Podcast · 31m

    68. Bird-inspired Bipedal Robots & Robotic Surgeons

    Daniel Scott Mitchell and Farbod Moghaddam discuss research from the Max Planck Institute’s dynamic locomotion group on 'Birdbot,' a bird-inspired bipedal robot that uses multi-joint tendon mechanics to achieve 75% greater energy efficiency than traditional designs. They also cover MIT’s development of a joystick-operated robotic arm for endovascular stroke intervention, which uses magnetic wires to allow remote surgeons to perform procedures more precisely and safely. The hosts analyze how these biological and robotic integrations reduce complexity and improve outcomes in both locomotion and medical surgery.

    Robotics & autonomyMechanical engineering
    6 chapters

  • The Next Byte Podcast · 25m

    19. Injectable Microchips, 2D Transistors, AI For Spacecraft Diagnosis

    Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss research from Columbia University led by Professor Ken Shepard and Chen Xi on injecting a grain-of-salt-sized microchip powered by ultrasound for medical monitoring. They then cover an international effort involving MIT, UC Berkeley, and TSMC to develop 2D transistors using bismuth contacts to overcome Moore's Law bottlenecks. Finally, they highlight NASA intern Evanna Gizzi's RAISR project, which uses machine learning and classical AI to autonomously diagnose spacecraft failures.

    Medical & health devicesChips, FPGAs & semiconductors
    4 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Robot Talk. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.