Nov 15 2010
A team of 34 researchers from the Institute of Mechanics of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences have developed a nano robot termed as ‘Hydromina’ to reduce human errors in the in- vitro fertilization procedures. With this invention, all medical procedures are likely to be revolutionized.
Hydromina Robot
The Hydromina robot offers accurate and automated inclusion of sperm into the egg without disrupting the egg’s membrane. The robot features a micro-thin pipette which enables the scientists to infuse cells measuring 1/30000th of a millimeter. Also with the help of this robot, doctors can perform up to 1000 artificial insemination procedures in a single day and it can effectively replace the current manual methods, which can perform only 80 such procedures per day.
It is reported that the Hydromina can be utilized in other medical procedures including the inclusion of tumor cells for cancer study. The € 473 000 worth Hydromina robot development project was sponsored by the EU and Germany and the robot was invented within four years of research. This innovative robot has been developed and examined in a laboratory situated in the cellar of the BAS Institute of Mechanics.
Kostadin Kostadinov, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Mechanics, has stated that their invention is so competent and has been honored as the first ever robot of this kind. According to Asen Shulev, Assistant Professor at the BAS Institute of Mechanics, the major advantage of this robot is the option of including varying quantities of the desired substance into every cell.
It is expected that the production of the Hydromina robot in a mass scale will be instigated soon.