Doctors in the future might tell patients, 'I'm afraid this is going to require surgery' - then hand over a pill that will do the surgery from inside the body.

A breakthrough at Stanford has created a Fantastic Voyage-style vehicle that can 'swim' through a patient's veins, powered wirelessly by electromagnetic waves from doctors from outside.

Previous prototypes have been hampered by large batteries - but the new machine is around the size of a grain of rice.

The device could deliver drugs, perform surgery, or just take on 'reconnaissance missions' which would otherwise require invasive endoscope treatments.

The current prototype chip is only three millimeters wide and four millimeters long.

This week, at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, Professor Ada Poon demonstrated a tiny, wirelessly powered, self-propelled medical device capable of controlled motion through blood.

'Such devices could revolutionize medical technology,' said Poon. 'Applications include everything from diagnostics to minimally invasive surgeries.'

Source / Pics

Reminds me of the old 1966 movie, The Fantastic Journey.