A microscopic robot small enough to travel through blood vessels has been built by scientists at Chonnam National University in Korea.

The robot walks like a crab on six legs and has been designed to clear blocked arteries. By attaching grafted heart muscle to the legs, the scientists found the legs would bend as the muscle cells contracted. The cells get their energy from sugar in the patient’s blood.

Using cells from the patient’s own body, perhaps grown from stem cells, would also reduce the likelihood of the body producing an immune reaction.