Micro-Robots for Treating Diseases: Reality or Science Fiction?

It may seem like science fiction now, but there was a time when people looked to the future with optimism. No other decade embodies this optimism more than the 1960s. For example, in 1966 the film "Fantastic Voyage" came out: a submarine crew was shrunk along with their vessel to microscopic size to enter the body of an injured scientist and repair damage to his brain. 

More than 50 years later, this is not as much of a fantasy as it once seemed. The world is indeed preparing to send miniature robots into the human body to help repair damage to the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. 

Investing in Exponential Technologies

Founded in 2016, Bionaut Labs raised $20 million in March 2021. One of the investors was the venture fund BOLD Capital, whose general partner is Peter Diamandis. The well-known billionaire invests in what he calls "exponential" technologies, especially in areas such as human longevity. 

“Bionauts and other medical robots are the result of an extraordinary convergence of exponential technologies. The combination of computing, artificial intelligence, sensors, networks, 3D printing, and virtual and augmented reality is changing the approach to detecting and treating diseases”

It is important to note that several members of Bionaut Labs' management and advisory board are connected with PrimeSense. In 2013, Microsoft (MSFT) acquired PrimeSense for $360 million. PrimeSense developed the 3D gesture recognition technology used in the Xbox 360. 

Micro-Robots for Precise Therapy

Bionaut Labs is developing remotely controlled robots smaller than a grain of rice that move through the body to precisely treat diseases, from the brain and central nervous system onward. 

It is important to understand the difference: precision medicine (also known as personalized medicine) uses genetics, machine learning and other tools to tailor treatment as closely as possible to a person's specific physiology. Bionaut Labs, in turn, is creating a platform for precise drug delivery. The company's methods also differ from robotic pills, which are designed to replace injections. 

Bionauts printed on a 3D printer, less than 1 mm long, contain moving parts controlled remotely using a magnetic guidance system. The magnetic energy needed to power the tiny robot is less than 10% of the energy used in MRI. It is much cheaper to generate. These miniature medical machines can operate autonomously, but people will stay informed about their actions. 

The robot is inserted either into the lower spine, as with an epidural anesthesia, or behind the skull. It then accelerates and cuts its way through tissue to the target area (for example, a tumor), where it is activated by a magnet and releases its drug payload from a special compartment. The robot then returns the same way it came. 

Bionauts swim in cerebrospinal fluid or make their way through brain tissue. They have surgeon-level precision with a possible deviation of 1 mm. The robot can have different sizes, loads, shapes, topology and functions. 

The Future of Healthcare

Bionaut Labs claims that roughly half of all approved drugs treat diseases that are localized, and that precise targeting with tiny robots produces better results and reduces harmful effects and side effects. 

Initially, the company aimed its robotic drug delivery system at glioma and Huntington's disease. The first is a type of tumor that forms in the brain or spinal cord, accounting for 80% of all malignant brain tumors. The second is a progressive degenerative brain disease for which there are only a few treatment options. 

"Bionauts open up great prospects as a new targeted approach to treating serious brain diseases, for which there are several effective treatments, if any exist at all. Moreover, the broad therapeutic potential of Bionauts extends to many diseases for which traditional treatments are limited or absent," said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures (another Bionaut Labs investor).

In the future, Bionaut Labs robots may become not only therapeutic but also diagnostic tools, remaining in the body to detect disease before symptoms appear. Peter Diamandis predicts even more futuristic goals: even smaller Bionauts will be used for minimally invasive treatment of eye diseases. 

All of this remains future plans. At present, the company is in preclinical trials, testing Bionauts on pigs and sheep. Human clinical trials are planned for several years from now.