Biological computing machines such as micro- and nano-implants transform medicine by allowing experts to collect vital information inside the human body. The challenge, however, lies in successfully networking these implants for seamless communication.
Between 2008 and 2009, the Internet of Things (IoT) was conceived when the number of connected machines surpassed the number of humans on Earth. Now, at the interface of computer science and biology, the Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) promises to revolutionize health care and medicine.
The IoBNT refers to biosensors that can perform various functions such as data collection and processing, running medical tests inside the body, and using bacteria to design biological nano-machines to detect pathogens. It may also involve robots that swim through the bloodstream to perform targeted drug delivery and treatment.
With advances in nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and bio-engineering, nano-biosensors are expected to revolutionize medicine since they can reach places and do things that larger implants and current devices cannot.
No matter how exciting this research field is, communicating a nano-robot inside a person's body is still a fundamental challenge. Traditional techniques work well for large implants but cannot be scaled down to micro- and nano-dimensions. Aside from this, wireless signals do not penetrate through body fluids.
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