Nanorobots: An Overview

The growing interest in development of newer technologies to improve human health has lead to emergence of a new field called Nanorobotics. Nanorobotics is a technique in which robots of nanometer scale are created. The term nanorobot is a combination of two terms robot and nanometer. The size of nanorobots ranges from 0.5 to 3 microns in diameter. Synonyms of nanorobots are nanobots, nanoids, nanites, nanomachines and nanomites. The main element used in manufacturing of nanorobots will be carbon in the form of diamond/fullerene nanocomposite because of their strength and chemical inertness. Nanorobots may consist of molecular sorting rotors, propellers, sensors and fins. As nanorobots are of nanometer size, they work simillarly to viruses, bacteria, tumor cells and can be used to fight these threats to human body in coming future. The main feature of nanorobots will be its wide applicability in various fields. They can be used in early diagnosis and treatment of cancer and diabetes. In the field of Dentistry nanorobots can be used for oral analgesia, tooth repair, tooth alignment and diagnosis of oral cancer. Better targeted drug delivery can also be achieved in comparison of conventional devices. Other biomedical applications of nanorobots include breakdown of blood clots and kidney stones, in arteriosclerosis, nerve regeneration, parasite removal, as artificial oxygen carrier etc. The review article aims to provide an early glimpse on the structure, design, types, current scenario and future applications of nanorobots in various fields.