Medical 'microbot' to swim human arteries
In 1966, the movie "Fantastic Voyage" recounted the tale of doctors who are miniaturised along with a submarine and injected into the body of a Soviet defector, sailing up his bloodstream to destroy a brain clot that imperils the VIP's life.
The improbable storyline — and the equally improbable casting of sex icon Raquel Welch as a scientist in a wetsuit — invited the audience to suspend their disbelief and enjoy a good sci-fi romp.
More than 40 years later, some of the futuristic potential of "Fantastic Voyage" has taken a step closer to realisation, thanks to a remarkable achievement in miniaturisation unveiled today. There's no submarine or Raquel Welch, but instead a motorised robot that its inventors believe is small enough to be injected into the human bloodstream.
