The interest in micro-machines and subsequently micro-robots began in the late 1960s as the new technologies were being developed to create semiconductor devices. It was theorized by the physicist Richard Feynman that as our ability to measure and observer very tiny objects we could design mechanical components that operate on that scale. As the technologies that are used to manufacture semiconductor devices have become more precise, the mechanical world has followed suit with micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS), that are consistently increasing in complexity. All this research has lead to the latest problem that faces MEMS researchers today, combining the existing technologies that exist into a single package to create a robot that will serve as a platform carry specialized tools.
The most promising usage of this platform would be to create a robot that can move about inside the human body and perform surgery on high risk patients. By performing surgery without opening up a patient, they are exposed to a lower risk of getting an infection and will be able to heal faster because there would be no tissue normally associated with surgery. With ongoing research it could be possible for robots like these to cure patients of illnesses that are considered untreatable by today's standards by providing a mechanical solution to a problem that cannot be solved by other means. An example of this would be removing tumors and cancers that were otherwise considered inoperable because of where they are located in the body, such as inside the brain or embedded in heart muscle.
