Transcript below.

In this episode, Audrow Nash speaks with Brad Nelson, Professor at ETH Zurich, about his research regarding micro and nano robotics. They discuss many of Nelson’s projects: retinal and heart surgery, crystal harvesting, and robots with simulated flagella for mobility.

Researchers have developed improved forms of tiny magnetic actuators thanks to new materials and a microscopic 3D printing technology.

The future is in the hands of tiny robots, really tiny robots — and the expectation is that they will perform miraculous tasks, such as eye surgery and environmental cleanup.

Unlike larger robots, microrobots for applications in the body are too small to carry batteries and motors. To address this challenge, we power and control robots made of magnetic materials using external magnetic fields. Developed at ETH Zurich’s  Multi-Scale Robotics Lab (MSRL), the OctoMag is a magnetic manipulation system that uses electromagnetic coils to wirelessly guide microrobots for ophthalmic surgery.