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Edible computer chips could control digestible drug-delivery robots

Researchers are working on edible computer chips to control robots that can operate inside the human body to precisely deliver drugs before safely being digested

By Matthew Sparkes

25 April 2023

A microfluidic logic gate made from ethyl cellulose

Laboratory of intelligent systems at EPFL

Medical robots controlled by edible computer chips could deliver drugs inside the body, say researchers. Similar robots could also be used to deliver drugs or vital nutrients to at-risk animals and then naturally biodegrade.

Soft robots that can operate inside the human body are a busy area of research, but they tend to be remotely controlled from outside the body with magnets. Simple computers made from flexible tubes and devices that operate hydraulically – known as microfluidic computers – have been in …

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