New technology for communication with nanorobots in the body
Published: Wednesday, Nov 22nd 2023, 12:11
Zurück zu Live Feed
A new technology enables tiny implants in the blood to be networked with each other. The protocol developed by researchers from Switzerland and the USA is based on biomolecular communication, which uses biological molecules instead of radio waves to transmit information.
"People think it's science fiction, but it will very quickly become a scientific reality," said Haitham Al Hassanieh in a press release issued by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) on Wednesday. Al Hassanieh was involved in the development of the new protocol.
Nano-implants that can be used in the human body are said to have great potential. They should be able to collect data, recognize pathogens or swim in the bloodstream in order to administer targeted medication, according to the EPFL. But how do you communicate with a nanorobot in a human body? Researchers from EPFL, the University of Illinois (USA) and the University of Wisconsin (USA) have taken up this challenge.
Traditional technology unsuitable
According to the researchers, traditional techniques that work with radio waves cannot be scaled to micro and nano dimensions. In addition, wireless signals do not penetrate body fluids.
The researchers therefore used what is known as biomolecular communication. Instead of electromagnetic waves, this uses biological molecules as carriers and as information. In its simplest form, it encodes the "1" and "0" bits by releasing or not releasing molecular particles into the bloodstream.
"New form of communication"
The researchers investigated how they could equip biomolecular communication with several transmitters that could simultaneously send data to a receiver. With the protocol, which they called MoMA (Molecular Multiple Access), they succeeded in creating a network with up to four transmitters. It clearly surpasses the state of the art, according to the press release.
"I am very excited because this is a new form of communication," said Al Hassanieh. "Now we are at the point where we can start collaborations and move things forward."
©Keystone/SDA
German 
English 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic