Tiny Robots Mobilized for Highly Targeted Treatments

Mini robots > surgery.

Waterloo researchers unveiled a new kidney stone treatment that uses centimetre-long, soft robots to deliver drugs directly to the kidney stone area.

Kidney stones affect roughly 12 per cent of people, and they are often recurring. This tiny robot treatment is minimally invasive, which reduces the need for prolonged drug treatments and repeated surgeries that burden patients and healthcare systems.

“There is currently no good treatment method available for this type of kidney stone.... We hope accelerated stone dissolution will relieve the pain faster and help patients pass stones quicker.”

— Dr. Veronika Magdanz

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