A team at Philadelphia-based Penn Dental at the University of Pennsylvania has created a robot that changes its shape to perform different oral health tasks.
The microrobot is made up of iron oxide nanoparticles powered by catalytic and magnetic activity. It can take the shape needed to perform tasks such as brushing, flossing and rinsing, which can be useful to people who lack manual dexterity, according to a July 5 news release from the university.
The performance and results of the device were published June 28 in ACS Nano.