Do Medical Microrobots Dream of Storks?

Abstract

The number of children born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been increasing every year, and is currently about one in sixteen. IVF is a treatment in which a sperm and an oocyte are taken out of the body, fertilized, and returned to the uterus to become pregnant. Repeated treatment is physically and emotionally taxing, especially for women, and the high cost of treatment is a financial burden that forces many couples to give up treatment. One of the causes that may reduce the success rate of pregnancy and increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy is that the embryo implanted in the uterus floats and does not stay in a suitable site for implantation. In this talk, I will introduce the forefront of research on "embryo transfer microrobots" that protect the embryo and transport it to the optimal position for implantation in order to solve this problem.