Soft, wireless origami robots will fix what’s ailing ya

Researchers at The Ohio State University and Georgia Tech have come up with a way to send tiny, soft, wireless, origami robots inside the body for less invasive surgeries. And yes, all the adjectives in the previous sentence are accurate. The robots could be used to treat colon polyps, stomach cancer, artery blockages, and numerous other conditions.

So let’s break this down: The robots are made of a magnetic polymer that is soft and won’t irritate the body on the way to its destination.

Doctors manipulate the robot wirelessly using magnetic fields outside the body, so there is no tether needed to get it into place. A precise origami folding allows the robot to unfurl when it reaches its destination, in order to apply its treatment. It then refolds to come back out of the body magnetically. Now there’s something to look forward to during your next colonoscopy!