Self-propelled microboats could save your life

Cheng Luo, an engineer from the University of Texas at Arlington, has created a self-propelled microboat based on the toy boats he played with as a child. When an object -- say, a toy boat -- floating on water has a drop of oil on it, the change in surface tension propels that object in the opposite direction. With this principle in mind, Luo has created a microboat that measures just millimeters, contains its own reservoir of isopropyl alcohol as a propellant, and cruises at around 30 cm per second. "But, why?" you ask. Luo explains that these tiny boats could be used to deliver drugs in blood vessels or even to diagnose and treat ailments. Sounds good to us -- wash one of these down with some self-healing goo and you could be all set. But before we go, try saying "toy boat" three times really fast.

[stickmanfc73_ @ May 22nd 2008 8:35AM]

Those things in my body? Ow. Oh and I tried saying 'toy boat' three times fast. I ended up sounding like a fool.

[rock99rock @ May 22nd 2008 9:32AM]

Toy butt. Thats what i ended up saying. Toy butts are no laughing matter though.

[Flashpoint @ May 22nd 2008 9:35AM]

Hey BABY

I've got a boat at home.

[Ameen @ May 22nd 2008 10:25AM]

Saying Toy Boat thrice is nothing..
Hell, I pronounce Fruhlinger as "Fruh! - link - Er..?" =P

[JLTate @ May 22nd 2008 11:37AM]

Wait... fast moving but difficult to see boats that can be used to deliver drugs? I have some Columbian friends that might be very interested in this!

[Oskin @ May 23rd 2008 1:30AM]

I ended up with taebo haha don't ask!

[nikola @ May 22nd 2008 8:42AM]

UMM...blood vessels are smaller than THAT aren't they?

Theses things look like good shovelers. Why not use them to shovel cholesterol out of arteries. They can dump it in the brain to make you smarter.

[Brett @ May 22nd 2008 8:44AM]

Yer, there is something about an object that is likened to toy boats that makes it some what... not cool to be inside of you.

And no i cant say toy boat three times fast either.

[NHAnimator @ May 22nd 2008 8:44AM]

I'm still trying to say "Cheng Luo" three times fast.

[Armoured @ May 22nd 2008 8:56AM]

WOW 30cm a seconds is pretty fast.

But seriously, out of all things they want to use them in blood vessels for drug delivery...pffft So stupid! That's why we have injections dumbasses. Besides, I wouldn't want my vessels blocked by that

[Low Ranked @ May 22nd 2008 12:32PM]

Who WOULD want their vessels blocked by a...... vessel?!

[T H @ May 22nd 2008 9:07AM]

For some reason I read that as "microbats" at first and thought it was much cooler.

[Kurian @ May 22nd 2008 9:09AM]

Same.

[The 3rd Hot Dog @ May 22nd 2008 9:26AM]

Me too.

[Zach @ May 22nd 2008 9:53AM]

I was excited to see little tiny flying bats too...

[threefingeredlord @ May 22nd 2008 12:33PM]

Another one here.

At least I'm not alone in my disappointment.

[RichardBronosky @ May 22nd 2008 11:26AM]

ditto

[Ambrosia @ May 22nd 2008 12:38PM]

me too. then i realized that self propelled microbats doesn't make a whole lot of sense.. since they are already pretty self propelled.

[neurobuntu @ May 22nd 2008 9:11AM]

Deliver drugs in the cardiovascular system? Why would you need a boat to do that? All you need to do is get in the drugs in the blood and the blood circulating gets the drugs around for you.

[Fred @ May 22nd 2008 9:14AM]

Interesting. A vessel in a vessel.

[Le Master @ May 22nd 2008 10:00AM]

Lawlz. That was actually clever.

[Steffen Jobbs @ May 22nd 2008 9:17AM]

Speedboating down the Love Canal. That's not a very streamlined-looking boat.

[stromm @ May 22nd 2008 9:20AM]

"Deliver drugs in the cardiovascular system? Why would you need a..."

For point specific treatment. Think cancers, tumors, etc. No need to flood a person's body with massive amounts of a drug thereby causing problems with health tissue/organs.

With something like this, they could put it in an artery, watch it via CT/MRI and activate the delivery right where it's needed.

Now, all that said and done, I have to question the propulsion method for use within a liquid environment. It sounds like this has only been tested for surface movement. His method doesn't work the same say "under water".

On top of that, IsoAlcohol is not good for internal use. It's very caustic and causes soft tissue cellular damage. Yea, it's used extensively on external wounds, but it's not meant to be introduced into the blood stream. Granted, we're talking about minute amounts, but who knows what problems that could cause later. Those problems might be assumed to be related to what the boat is treating even.

[Josh @ May 22nd 2008 9:56AM]

that'd be like a yacht for nanobots.

[Ameen @ May 22nd 2008 10:37AM]

Try a Mega Huge Cruise Liner!.. Nano bots are a hell lot smaller.. At around 0.1-10 micrometers..

[Jeff @ May 22nd 2008 12:11PM]

I understand making a miniature toy boat, but then claiming it'll cure diseases? give me a break.

That propulsion mechanism only works on the surface, not submerged, and at the size we're looking at right now, that's certainly "not for internal use"

Stromm has it dead on.

I'm thinking the guy spent a lot of time designing a tiny little toy boat, and now want to pretend he's somehow being noble. :\

[wiggyzig @ Jun 11th 2008 4:31PM]

Kay uh... I'm all for innovative drug treatment therapy, but I wouldn't ever invest money into this idea haha.

First realize how fast the blood is circulating around your body, then begin to remember that theres no MOTOR and that isopropyl alcohol isn't going to combat your blood circulation especially if the boat will probably be spinning in circles as it travels down the nile, and then at this point ask yourself "Hey, how the F*** are we gonna steer this thing now that its going in the wrong direction??

Also, unless your planning waterskiing with the S.S. Drug Treatment Boat in the Aorta, millimeters in size Isn't going to cut it when this thing tries to mosey across capillary beds which are ~1 cell size in diameter... where all the isopropyl alcohol will probably be left to dilute out into the same area of smooth muscle tissue causing problems..

Then how do you plan on finding this thing afterwards lol

But hey, if all these problems are somehow solved than sure why not! I'll even ask my doc to bring along my swim trunks :)