The robots, manufactured by coating tiny algae with magnetic particles, can be tracked in tissue close to the skin's surface by imaging the algae's natural fluorescence, and in hard-to-reach deeper tissue by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
In tests, a swarm of robots a few millionths of a metre in length were guided magnetically to sites in the stomach of rats.
Researchers, led by those from Chinese University of Hong Kong, developed micro-robots by coating a microscopic algae with non-harmful, biocompatible magnetic particles.
Scientists, including those from Universities of Edinburgh and Manchester in the UK, suggest that the advance may lead to a way to deliver drugs to parts of the body that are otherwise difficult to treat.
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The robots could also sense chemical changes linked to the onset of illness within parts of the body, which makes them potentially useful as probes for remote diagnosis.
The time taken for the robots to function and biodegrade within the body could be tailored by adjusting the thickness of their manufactured coating.
Further research could show whether this might have potential as a treatment, researchers said.
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