Studio guest: Dr. Thomas Velten of the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Technology

Cameras you can swallow, nanobots patrolling our blood for pathogens - lots of things that used to sound like science fiction are well on their way to reality. Dr. Thomas Velten from the Fraunhofer Institute (IBMT) talks about the exciting new area of micro-medicine.
DW-TV: What do you think, will the scalpel and other invasive procedures soon be a thing of the past?


Thomas Velten: I think we will see more of these things in the future, that's for sure. At the moment a lot of reasearch activities are going on on this field, and a lot of robots for surgery, for example, are now being developed.


DW-TV: Many things are imaginable in the field of micro-medicine. Let's start with an example you've brought with you -- what can this artificial tooth do?



Thomas Velten: It's a medical device for people suffering from dry mouth. This tiny tooth contains an electro-stimulator, which stimulates salivary glands - and then they produce saliva. The mouth becomes wet - and in order to stop the mouth becoming too wet, it contains a small sensor which in a closed loop will tell the system to stop the simulation.


DW-TV: A lot of research is going into miniaturized medicine dispensing systems. Can you tell us a little more about that?


Thomas Velten: The drug delivery system is a very hot topic. We have to develop such a system together with our other partners, which is also placed in the mouth - like the system I've shown. But there are also patches, like nicotine patches, and sophisticated patches that can be implanted in your body.


DW-TV: How are these miniature medical devices powered? What is the energy source?


Thomas Velten: First of all, they are powered by batteries. Other systems are powered wirelessly, for example, by electromagnetic fields. But in the future I think it will still be batteries that power these systems, and also batteries will improve - so it won't be a problem to have them in the body for a long time.


DW-TV: Let's look ahead to the future. Do you think there will come a day when human surgeons and human doctors are no longer needed, when all of our ails can be treated by robots?


Thomas Velten:


I cannot imagine this. Robots can do some things, but they will never replace physicians


DW-TV: That's good news for all those doctors out there.


(Interview Heather DeLisle)