WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:06.200 Welcome to the Sentient Code, where intelligence is engineered, autonomy 2 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:10.439 is emerging, and a line between human and machine grows thinner. 3 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:15.359 Each episode, we decode the algorithms, explore the robotics, and 4 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:19.000 examine the ideas shaping the future of artificial minds. 5 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:27.199 I want you to imagine a scenario for a second. 6 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:30.320 You are sitting in a doctor's office, and you've just 7 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:33.679 been diagnosed with a pretty severe medical condition. 8 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:37.039 Right, like a localized tumor, or maybe a dangerous blood 9 00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:40.719 clot lodged somewhere deep in a really hard to reach 10 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:41.920 area of your brain. 11 00:00:41.799 --> 00:00:44.759 Exactly and normally, you know, this is the part where 12 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:48.479 you prepare for weeks of just pure anxiety. You picture 13 00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:51.920 being wheeled into this freezing, sterile operating room. 14 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:54.200 Yeah, being put under heavy anesthesia. 15 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:57.200 Right, and enduring this super invasive surgery that will probably 16 00:00:57.280 --> 00:00:59.920 leave you recovering for months. But instead of handing you 17 00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:03.320 a massive stack of pre paperwork, your doctor just hands 18 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:06.400 you a simple glass of water and a single tiny pill. 19 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:08.200 Which is crazy to even picture. 20 00:01:07.959 --> 00:01:10.640 It is you swallow it, and inside that pill is 21 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:15.079 this fleet of microscopic, completely autonomous machines. They just navigate 22 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:18.519 directly through your bloodstream, hunt down the exact coordinates of 23 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:22.120 the disease cells, and deliver a highly targeted payload of medication. 24 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:24.480 And then they heat themselves up just enough to destroy 25 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:24.920 the tumor. 26 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:27.959 Yes, and after all that, they just well, they dissolve 27 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:29.000 into absolutely nothing. 28 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:31.640 I mean, it sounds like pure science fiction, doesn't it. 29 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:35.200 The idea of like shrinking an entire surgical team down 30 00:01:35.239 --> 00:01:37.239 to the size of a molecule and sending them in 31 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:38.319 to do the work. 32 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:39.799 From the inside, it really does. 33 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:43.439 We've been dreaming about that kind of autonomous internal medicine 34 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:47.000 for gosh decades, but it's always felt like a total fantasy. 35 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:50.680 But that is exactly what makes our exploration today so 36 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:54.680 mind blowing, because this isn't the fantasy anymore. This is 37 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:58.840 the reality of a massive breakthrough innovation known as trimag 38 00:01:59.200 --> 00:01:59.920 micro robot. 39 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:04.599 Yeah, it's a huge leap forward in minimally invasive medicine, 40 00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:05.239 it really is. 41 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:09.159 And this technology was developed primarily by a system professor 42 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:12.719 Jinxing Lie and his team at Michigan State University, alongside 43 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:16.479 some amazing partners like henry Ford Health and Arizona State University. 44 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:19.800 The collaboration there is just fantastic truly. 45 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:23.400 And you know, if you are someone who is endlessly 46 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:25.840 fascinated by cutting edge tech, or if you're just someone 47 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:28.919 who absolutely hates the idea of invasive surgery, which. 48 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:30.840 Let's be honest, is literally all of us. 49 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:34.599 Right who wants surgery. Yeah, this technology is fundamentally going 50 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:39.319 to change how you experience healthcare in the future. So okay, 51 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:42.439 let's unpack this because before we can even begin to 52 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:45.759 understand how these micro robots cured diseases, we have to 53 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:49.800 understand how something physically smaller than a single human hair 54 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:51.000 is even built. 55 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:54.560 Yeah. The fabrication process itself is an absolute marvel of 56 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:57.080 modern engineering because I mean, you can't just put these 57 00:02:57.080 --> 00:02:59.800 things together on a tiny microscopic assembly line. 58 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:02.000 There are no tiny wrenches involved exactly. 59 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:05.360 So the team at Michigan State University's IQ three D 60 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:09.639 printing core utilizes this highly advanced technique. It's called two 61 00:03:09.719 --> 00:03:11.039 photon polymerization. 62 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:14.159 Okay, two photon polymerization. That sounds in taps. 63 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:17.360 It is. It's essentially a high precision three D printing method, 64 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:21.319 but it operates on principles of quantum physics and photochemistry. 65 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:24.960 So wait, instead of layering melted plastic like a normal 66 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:27.199 desktop three D printer you'd have at home. Yeah, how 67 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:30.439 does two photon polymerization actually work using light? Right? 68 00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:35.639 Exactly? You start with a vat of liquid biocompatible hydrogel. Specifically, 69 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:38.680 they use these polymers known as PEGDA and PEDA. 70 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:41.800 Okay, pegda and PEDA. Got it. 71 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:44.520 Now, if you shine a normal laser into this liquid, 72 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:47.080 the whole path of the beam might just harden. But 73 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:51.680 with two photon polymerization, they use these highly focused near 74 00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:53.560 infrared femtosecond lasers. 75 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:57.400 Ooh, femtosecond, so incredibly fast pulses of light. 76 00:03:57.319 --> 00:04:00.000 Super fast, and the chemical reaction that turns the liquid 77 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:02.680 into a solid plastic, well, it only happens at the 78 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:05.879 exact microscopic focal point where two photons hit the same 79 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:07.479 molecule at the exact same time. 80 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:12.319 Wait, really, so you could effectively sculpt a solid object 81 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:15.080 floating right in the middle of a pool of liquid 82 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:18.360 just by crossing lasers at a microscopic point. 83 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:19.279 That's exactly it. 84 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:21.439 That is just wild. And let me jump in on 85 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:24.439 the materials here, because the choice of PEGNA and PEDA 86 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:28.360 isn't just random plastic right. These are hydrogels, right, which 87 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:30.879 is crucial because if you look air molecular structure, they 88 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:34.639 form this highly cross linked, three dimensional web. They are 89 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:36.279 basically microscopic. 90 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:37.199 Sponges, yes, exactly. 91 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:40.959 They're designed to absorb and hold vast amounts of water 92 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:45.600 or in this specific case, liquid medication without actually dissolving. 93 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.399 So you aren't just printing a hard piece of plastic. 94 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:52.600 You're printing a bio friendly, absorbent scaffold. 95 00:04:52.920 --> 00:04:54.920 That is a perfect way to describe it. It's a 96 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:58.639 functional scaffold. And the physical shape they're sculpting with those 97 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:01.199 lasers is incredible specific too. 98 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:03.160 Right, they don't look like what you'd expect. 99 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:06.360 No, they don't look like tiny submarines with little propellers. 100 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:11.000 They are helical. They basically look like microscopic corkscrews. 101 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:14.079 Which honestly makes perfect biological sense because if you look 102 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:17.040 at bacteria, like the oldest swimmers of the planet, they 103 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:18.480 don't use propellers. 104 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:18.720 No they don't. 105 00:05:18.759 --> 00:05:21.639 They use bacterial flagella, you know, those little whip like 106 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:24.879 corkscrew tails. And the reason for that really comes down 107 00:05:24.920 --> 00:05:27.480 to the physics of moving at a microscopic scale. 108 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:30.360 Yeah, the physics get really weird down there totally. 109 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:32.759 If you or I jump into a swimming pool. Water 110 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:34.959 feels fluid, right, we can push through it pretty easily. 111 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:38.959 But to a microscopic robot, the physics completely. 112 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:40.560 Change, right because of their size. 113 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:45.040 Exactly because they're so small, the fluid dynamics what scientists 114 00:05:45.079 --> 00:05:48.920 call a low Reynolds number environment. Yeah, means blood or 115 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:52.879 cellular matrix feels incredibly thick and viscous. 116 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:54.879 To them, like trying to swim through a pool of thick. 117 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:58.519 Molasses exactly, molasses or honey. It's so dense for. 118 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:02.279 Them, precisely so a tiny propeller would just get stuck 119 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:08.000 or create useless turbulence. The helical corkscrew shape is mathematically 120 00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:11.800 and biologically the most efficient way to physically propel through 121 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:13.040 that kind of dense environment. 122 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:17.720 Okay, so we have a microscopic medicine soeled sponge shaped 123 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:18.959 like a bacterial quarkscrew. 124 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:20.120 Yep, that's the chassis. 125 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:21.600 But I have to push back here because this is 126 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.079 where my brain just starts to short circuit. If these 127 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:27.160 structures are smaller than a strand of hair, how on 128 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:29.399 earth do they fit a motor inside them to make 129 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:32.480 that quark screw spin? Like? Where's the battery. 130 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:34.360 That is always the most intuitive question to ask, and 131 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:36.360 the answer is honestly brilliant. They don't. 132 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:37.279 They don't have a motor. 133 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:41.160 There is no internal motor whatsoever. There are no tiny batteries, 134 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:45.839 no microscopic years, and absolutely no tethers, wires or catheters 135 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:47.360 connecting them to the outside world. 136 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:52.519 Seriously, seriously, they are completely untethered and entirely passive on 137 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:53.279 the inside. 138 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:56.560 So how do they move if there's no motor, how 139 00:06:56.560 --> 00:06:58.040 are they swimming through the molasses? 140 00:06:58.199 --> 00:07:02.120 They are driven entirely by extra ternal magnetic field. Oh magnets, 141 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:06.600 of course, right When doctors apply a precisely controlled rotating 142 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:11.600 magnetic field around the patient's entire body, the robots basically 143 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:12.959 catch that magnetic wave. 144 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:14.120 Okay, I'm picturing it. 145 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:17.319 As the external field rotates in the room, the robots 146 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:20.959 spin in sync with it, literally corkscrewing their way through 147 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:24.480 bodily fluids, tissues, and narrow anatomical passages. 148 00:07:24.519 --> 00:07:27.600 That is insane. The motor isn't in the robot. The 149 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:30.759 motor is the room the patient is sitting in exactly. 150 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:32.680 The external magnets are doing all the heavy lifting. 151 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:34.519 But hold on, if we are just driving them with 152 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:37.600 giant magnets from the outside. That brings up a massive 153 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:41.000 logical problem, which is, how do doctors know where these 154 00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:43.000 things are? I mean, the inside of the human body 155 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:45.920 is dark, it's dense, it's constantly moving. 156 00:07:45.959 --> 00:07:48.600 Right, It's a very noisy environment. Yeah. So if you 157 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:52.439 have a fleet of hair thin corkscrews swimming through someone's liver, 158 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:56.519 how do you track them without them just getting hopelessly lost. 159 00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:00.639 This is exactly what separates this specific break through from 160 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:05.120 earlier generations of micro robots. Historically, that was the exact problem. 161 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:07.920 They would just get lost in dense biological tissue. 162 00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:10.040 So how did Jinxinglize team solve it? 163 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:13.839 The solution is right in the name of the technology trimag. 164 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:18.439 It stands for three distinct magnetic functions integrated into one 165 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:19.600 single package. 166 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:22.079 Ah okay, three functions, right. 167 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:24.160 So we've just covered the first one, which is magnetic 168 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:28.319 actuation or movement. To solve the tracking problem, they utilize 169 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:32.200 the second function, magnetic particle imaging or MPI. 170 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:34.399 MPI okay, and they achieve. 171 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:38.120 This by baking magnetic nanoparticles directly into the hydrogel sponge 172 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:40.240 while it is being three D printed with the lasers. 173 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:42.559 Here's where It gets really interesting because if you ask 174 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:45.039 anyone how we look inside the human body, the first 175 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:49.279 answer is always an MRI, Right, a magnetic resonance imaging machine. 176 00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:51.240 Sure, that's the standard. 177 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:53.960 But MRIs have a fatal flaw when it comes to 178 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:58.159 tracking micro robots. An MRI is fundamentally designed to look 179 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:00.919 at the protons in water exactly, And because the human 180 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:03.639 body is mostly water and these hydrogel robots are also 181 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:06.279 filled with water, trying to spot one with an MRI 182 00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:07.639 is basically impossible. 183 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:09.159 It's completely washed out. 184 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:11.639 Right. Think about it, like trying to find a perfectly 185 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:14.840 clear glass bead dropped into the bottom of a massive 186 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:18.639 swimming pool. The image gets completely obscured. The background noise 187 00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:22.120 of your own biology just drowns out the tiny robot. 188 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:25.559 What a fantastic analogy, and you are absolutely right that 189 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:29.679 background tissue interference has plagued microscopic navigation for years. 190 00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:32.120 So how does MPI fix the glass bead problem? 191 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:35.080 Well, this brings us to the genius of the MPI system. 192 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:39.440 During that two photon polymerization printing process we talked about, 193 00:09:39.720 --> 00:09:43.600 the researchers embed nanoparticles of a compound called magnetite. 194 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:46.039 Magnetite which is three four. 195 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:49.360 That's the one. So basically tiny specks of highly magnetic 196 00:09:49.399 --> 00:09:50.039 iron oxide. 197 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:52.039 Okay, so iron rust basically, but magnetic. 198 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:55.240 What's fascinating here is how an MPI scanner interacts with 199 00:09:55.279 --> 00:09:59.759 that magnetite. Compared to an MRI, an MPI scanner operates 200 00:09:59.799 --> 00:10:02.840 on a a completely different physical principle. How so it 201 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:09.320 measures the nonlinear magnetization of those specific superpaaramagnetic iron oxide particles. 202 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:12.120 In simple terms, it doesn't care about water at all. 203 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:13.159 Oh wow, It. 204 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:17.559 Completely ignores biological tissues. It only detects the magnetic tracer. 205 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:21.120 So going back to the swimming pool analogy, using NPI 206 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:24.320 isn't looking for a clear glass bead anymore. It's like 207 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:26.559 turning off all the lights in the pool completely and 208 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:29.080 looking for a bead that is glowing like a blinding 209 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:29.960 neon sign. 210 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:33.960 Exactly. The background biology is entirely rendered black on the 211 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.879 scan and the magnetite nanoparticles shine brightly. 212 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:38.720 That's incredibly clever, it really is. 213 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:43.240 This provides clinicians with real time, high resolution three dimensional 214 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:46.720 imaging with submillimeter tracking accuracy. 215 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:47.559 So a billimeter that's precise. 216 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:50.799 Extremely It allows them to see exactly where the robots 217 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:54.080 are and exactly what direction they're facing, even in incredibly 218 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:56.519 deep dense organs like the brain or the back of 219 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:59.639 the eye, with literally zero biological interference. 220 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:01.720 Okay, let's take a breath and look at what we 221 00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:05.600 have so far. We can drive them through dense tissue 222 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:09.200 using external rotating magnets yep, and we can see them 223 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:14.600 with pinpoint submillimeter accuracy using this NPI neon sigin effect, 224 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:18.960 so we have a fully functional visible remote controlled submarine. 225 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:21.519 We do, but seeing and driving the robots is only 226 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.600 half the battle. Right Once they actually reach the target. 227 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:28.200 Let's say they arrive at a cluster of dangerous cancer cells, 228 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:30.919 what is their actual mechanism for healing? 229 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:34.039 Right, Because they can't just bump into the cancer exactly. 230 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:37.120 They're way too small to carry microscopic scalpels. They can't 231 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:39.279 physically punch the cancer cells to death. 232 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:42.039 This brings us to the third magnetic function of the 233 00:11:42.039 --> 00:11:45.600 TRIMAG system and the second type of nanoparticle that they 234 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:47.960 embed into the hydrogel during printing. 235 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:49.240 Okay, what's the second particle? 236 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:52.519 CoFe two four or cobalt ferret cobalt ferret, got it. 237 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:56.480 These specific nanoparticles have a very unique physical property when 238 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:00.039 exposed to a totally different type of magnetic stimulation. 239 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:02.519 From the rotating field that drives them exactly. 240 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:05.240 Once the robot is parked perfectly next to the tumor, 241 00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:09.399 the clinicians switch from a rotating magnetic field to an 242 00:12:09.480 --> 00:12:11.000 alternating magnetic field. 243 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:13.320 Okay, I need to understand the physics of that. How 244 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:17.120 does an alternating magnetic field turn into a weapon against 245 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:17.639 a tumor? 246 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:21.120 It comes down to a phenomenon known as magnetic histeroresis 247 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:26.200 or neal relaxation. Neal relaxation alternating magnetic field is one 248 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:29.720 that rapidly flips its polarity back and forth thousands of 249 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:33.960 times a second, north south, north south, incredibly fast. 250 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:36.720 Okay, so the field is just vibrating basically exactly. 251 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:40.279 And when you expose cobalt ferret to that rapidly flipping field, 252 00:12:40.679 --> 00:12:44.360 the internal magnetic poles of those specific nanoparticles are forced 253 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:47.759 to constantly realign themselves to keep up with the external room. 254 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:50.440 Oh, I see, they're desperately flipping back and forth inside 255 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:50.879 the robot. 256 00:12:51.080 --> 00:12:55.679 Yes, all that rapid microscopic movement creates intense internal friction, 257 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:58.320 and just like rubbing your hands, together really fast on 258 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:00.559 a cold day. That friction heat. 259 00:13:00.600 --> 00:13:02.720 Wait, wait, I have to stop you there. If we 260 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:07.639 are exposing cobalt ferret to rapidly alternating magnetic fields and 261 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:12.279 generating heat through microscopic friction, we are basically microwaving iron 262 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:14.080 particles inside the human body. 263 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:15.399 Essentially, Yes, aren't we. 264 00:13:15.480 --> 00:13:18.000 Risking cooking the healthy tissue right next to the tumor. 265 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:19.799 That sounds super dangerous. 266 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:23.919 It's a very valid concern, and safety is absolutely paramount here. 267 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:27.320 But this is exactly where the concept of theirynostics comes 268 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:27.919 into play. 269 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:30.919 Their gnostics, so therapy and diagnostics combined. 270 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:34.919 You nailed it. It's the seamless simultaneous combination of therapy 271 00:13:34.960 --> 00:13:38.120 and diagnostics. Because the NPI tracking we just talked about 272 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:42.399 is so unbelievably accurate. The doctors know the exact submillimeter 273 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:45.240 location of the micro robots. They do not turn on 274 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:49.559 that alternating heat generating magnetic field until they can visually 275 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:53.879 confirm that the robots are positioned precisely inside or directly 276 00:13:53.879 --> 00:13:56.120 adjacent to the diseased cells. 277 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.399 Oh, I get it. So the heating is perfectly isolated 278 00:13:58.399 --> 00:13:59.960 to the exact coordinates of the tumor. 279 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:04.919 Exactly this process is called magneto thermal hyperthermia. The internal 280 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:10.200 friction of the cobalt ferret rapidly raises the localized temperature 281 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:13.080 to about forty two to forty five degrees celsius, which 282 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:16.120 is pretty hot. It's highly specific. It is hot enough 283 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:20.399 to effectively ablate or destroy the targeted tumor cells, causing 284 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:21.279 them to break down. 285 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:21.960 Wow. 286 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:25.480 But because the heat source is microscopic and perfectly positioned, 287 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:30.080 it dissipates almost instantly, completely sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. 288 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:33.120 That is an incredible level of thermal control. You're basically 289 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:36.080 burning out the cancer one microstopic cell at a time. 290 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:37.399 It's incredibly precise. 291 00:14:37.559 --> 00:14:39.639 But earlier we talked about how the robot itself is 292 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:42.039 made of a hydrogel sponge. So it's not just a 293 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:42.720 heating element. 294 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:45.559 No, it's definitely not. The hydrogel structure is a vital 295 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:48.919 part of the therapy itself. Before the robot is deployed 296 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:51.759 into your body, that microscopic sponge can be loaded with 297 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:56.799 specific therapeutic payloads like drugs. Yes, we are talking about 298 00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:02.279 highly concentrated chemotherapy, drugs, therapeutics, or even regenerative compounds. 299 00:15:02.279 --> 00:15:03.799 Okay, so you aren't just heating the tumor. 300 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:06.720 No, as the hydrogel heats up and interacts with the 301 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:11.000 cellular environment, it kind of squeezes, and it releases maximum 302 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:14.919 strength medication directly onto the surface of the disease cells. 303 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:19.360 Which completely bypasses the absolute nightmare of traditional systemic treatments. 304 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:20.080 Exactly. 305 00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:22.519 Think about it, when you or a loved one gets 306 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:27.000 chemotherapy intravenously, that highly toxic drug just goes everywhere in 307 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:29.399 your blood stream. It hits your hair, follicles, your stomach, 308 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.559 lining you're perfectly healthy organs. 309 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:33.720 Yeah, the collateral damage is awful. 310 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:38.720 That is exactly why patients experience such severe agonizing side effects, 311 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:42.519 the constant nausea, the immune suppression, the hair loss. But 312 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:46.519 with this trimag system, the chemotherapy is effectively trapped inside 313 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:49.960 the hydrogel sponge until it reaches the exact coordinates of 314 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:50.399 the tumor. 315 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:53.360 It is the ultimate form of targeted drug delivery. It 316 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:57.519 dramatically minimizes those devastating systemic side effects because the healthy 317 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:00.159 parts of your body are simply never exposed to the drug. 318 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:04.440 So with this incredibly precise seek heat and medicate capability, 319 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:07.360 how will this actually change the specific procedures you or 320 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:08.879 eye might have to undergo in the future. 321 00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:11.000 The clinical applications are vast. 322 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:14.639 Let's think ophthalmology for example. Okay, imagine you have a 323 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:20.039 severe eye condition like diabetic retinopathy or macular edema. The 324 00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:23.799 current gold standard for treatment often involves a doctor taking 325 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:28.440 a terrifyingly large needle and injecting medication directly into the 326 00:16:28.519 --> 00:16:30.279 vitreous humor of your eye. 327 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:31.200 Which nobody wants. 328 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:35.200 It's horrible, It is incredibly uncomfortable, it causes immense anxiety, 329 00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:39.960 and it carries real risks of secondary infection. With this technology, 330 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:42.519 instead of a needle, it could literally just be an 331 00:16:42.519 --> 00:16:45.960 outpatient application of eye drops containing these robots stick to 332 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.600 drop in the eye. Yeah, you blink them in and 333 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:51.840 the external magnets seamlessly guide them through the dense fluid 334 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:53.840 of your eye to the exact spot on your retina. 335 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:57.159 It is a profound shift in the patient experience. The 336 00:16:57.200 --> 00:17:00.679 trauma of the intervention is almost entirely removed, and the 337 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:02.759 applications extend far beyond the eye. 338 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:04.680 Where else are they looking well? 339 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:07.720 Doctor Ian Lee, a neurosurgeon from henry Ford Health who 340 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:11.160 partnered on this research, he's been heavily involved in exploring 341 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:15.839 the neurological applications. Think about brain surgery right now. Accessing 342 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:19.839 deep brain regions requires a craniotomy that means shaving the head, 343 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:23.839 removing a physical piece of the skull, and navigating surgical 344 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:26.720 instruments through delicate vital brain tissue. 345 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:30.839 Right It's major life altering surgery just to get to 346 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:33.720 the problem. The recovery alone is brutal, but. 347 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:37.440 With trimag micro robots, you could potentially deliver treatments to 348 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:40.880 those deep brain regions, or you know, dissolve dangerous blood 349 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:42.440 clots from a stroke in real. 350 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:44.480 Time without cutting the head open yes. 351 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:48.720 Or assist in precise tissue oblations without ever opening the skull. 352 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:51.839 You track them in real time with MPI, perform the 353 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:55.640 intervention using the localized heat and drug release, and dramatically 354 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:58.240 shorten the recovery time from months down to days. 355 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:01.519 And the gastro intestinal applications are just as wild to 356 00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:04.319 think about. Imagine just swallowing a simple capsule full of 357 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:07.480 these robots that can intelligently navigate your intestines to treat 358 00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:11.039 inflammatory ball disease locally just a pill, or even using 359 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:14.720 them to perform localized microscopic biopsies in the stomach without 360 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:17.279 needing to be sedated. So a doctor can force a 361 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:19.240 thick endoscopy tube down your throat. 362 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:22.200 If we connect this to the bigger picture, what we 363 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:26.920 are witnessing is a fundamental historical shift in the medical paradigm. 364 00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:27.880 How So, for. 365 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:31.200 Literally centuries, surgery has been based on the brute force 366 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:35.519 concept of cutting the human body open to fix what 367 00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:36.559 is broken inside. 368 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:38.200 Yeah, taking it apart to fix it. 369 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:41.279 This technology shifts us away from that entirely. We are 370 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:45.480 moving toward working with the body utilizing its own fluid 371 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:46.880 pathways from the inside out. 372 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.599 Okay, I love the vision of the future here. Yeah, 373 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:52.920 but this all sounds almost, I don't know, too miraculous, 374 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:56.519 which means my skeptical alarm bells are ringing loudly. There 375 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:57.440 has to be a catch. 376 00:18:57.519 --> 00:18:59.200 They're always hurdles, of course. 377 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:01.640 Like what happens to the robots when the job is done. 378 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:04.920 Let's say you successfully destroy the brain tumor. Now you 379 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:08.319 have a fleet of microscopic iron and plastic corkscrews floating 380 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:10.680 around in a patient's brain or liver. How do we 381 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:12.359 get them out? Do we have to drive them all 382 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:14.119 the way back out of the body with the magnets. 383 00:19:14.279 --> 00:19:17.599 That's a great question. But no, the excess strategy is 384 00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:21.319 actually one of the most elegant, highly engineered parts of 385 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:22.319 the entire design. 386 00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:24.119 Really, so they stay inside you. 387 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:26.359 Do not have to retrieve them. Remember those pigda and 388 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:28.720 peda hydrogel polymers we talked about. 389 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:29.599 Earlier und stuff. 390 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:34.319 They are entirely biocompatible and essentially edible to the human body. 391 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:40.599 Wait edible, well, metabolically speaking. Once the therapeutic mission is complete, 392 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:44.400 the body's natural metabolic processes simply begin to break down 393 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:47.880 the hydrogen network and the iron oxide components. Oh wow, 394 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:52.759 they safely biodegrade over time, leaving absolutely no long term residue, 395 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:57.640 no heavy metal toxicity, and they don't trigger adverse immune reactions. 396 00:19:57.920 --> 00:20:00.599 So they do the job and then they just melt 397 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:03.240 away into your biology. That is brilliant. 398 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:04.079 It's very clean. 399 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:07.200 So what does this all mean for the timeline? Because 400 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:08.799 I know we aren't picking these up at the local 401 00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:11.799