With science and technology evolving so rapidly, healthcare is being redefined like never before. We have probably seen everything there is, from personalized virtual medical assistants to robotic surgeries. There are constant debates about whether technology is actually improving healthcare or whether it is taking the human touch out of it.

While everyone is still speculating, there is one thing that is revolutionizing healthcare and may change our outlook forever. We are talking about nanobots.

What are nanobots in healthcare?

The use of nanobots in healthcare, particularly in surgery is not unheard of. Nanobots are very tiny, microscopic robots that can work together to treat areas that are otherwise inaccessible or too risky to work. This is usually because these areas are too fragile or too small for conventional surgery.

Research on nanobots is still ongoing and in full force. Researchers are working on nanobots that change shapes and gather cellular information from the human body too.

The many uses of nanobots in medicine

The use of nanotechnology in medicine and surgery started in the early 2000s. In 2001, smart pills attached with cameras, named PillCams, were introduced to aid medical procedures. Max Planck Institute, in 2014, designed the first scallop-like microbots that can swim through the bloodstream to deliver drugs at targeted locations in the body.

More recently in 2018, researchers in MIT developed an ingestible capsule that can relay diagnostic information or release drugs using Bluetooth technology. These pills can be controlled with a smartphone.

Nanobots that can be controlled with an external magnetic field to perform a variety of surgeries such as eye surgeries and clearing blocked arteries are being developed in many parts of the world.

Many of these nanobot designs take inspiration from nature. They are made to have soft bodies that can easily swim or crawl through narrow spaces.

With more and more research going on, it is expected that soon nanobots could be helping surgeons in taking biopsy samples in a more targeted way or make completely remote-controlled surgeries possible.

Nanobots in the future of healthcare

Many futurists believe that in the next 30 or 40 years, nanobots could practically wipe out diseases by repairing damaged cells and tissues inside the human body. Some researchers also think that nanobots could help address genetic issues and help eliminate malignant tumors.

Nanobots are likely to make medicine much more portable and convenient in the future. And if the futurists are to be believed, nanobots could even make humans immortal in another 30 years by reducing cell damage and aging.