Nanobots Market

Nanobots/nanorobots are ~50–100 nm wide and can be used very effectively for drug delivery. The increasing government support & investments in nanorobotics, technological advancements in molecular robotics, coupled with increasing focus on nanotechnology and regenerative medicines are expected to fuel the growth of the global market. However, the high manufacturing cost is projected to hamper the growth of the global market.

Molecular robots are a combination of sensors, computers, and actuators, all made of molecular devices. These robots are millionth of a millimeter in size. In 2017, the scientists at the University of Manchester had manufactured molecular robot with 150 carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms and was capable of manipulating a single molecule. The advantage of having this size of machine is that it helps to reduce the demand for materials, as well as accelerates and enhances drug discovery. Also, it reduces the need for energy and increases the miniaturisation of other products.

The molecular robots can be used during the synthesis of a wide range of organic molecules that are difficult or impossible to synthesize by conventional methods, including pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In addition, they can also be used in complex systems including structural DNA nanotechnology, protein design, and scanning probe microscopy. Molecular robots are used in applications such as the manufacturing of medicines and research purposes.

The molecular robot can also be used to move and build molecular cargo. For instance, a molecular robot manufactured in the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) can explore a molecular surface, pick up two different molecules and then distribute them to two distinct areas on the surface. During this work, fluorescent yellow dye and pink dye are used to enable the researchers to see if the molecules end up in the desired locations. In 24 hours, the robot successfully sorts six scattered molecules, three pink and three yellow, into the desired positions. The addition of more robots to the surface reduces the completion time of the task. Also, the same system design can be used with multiple types of cargos at any arbitrary initial location on the surface.

The futuristic applications of molecular robots can be synthesizing a therapeutic chemical from its constituent parts in an artificial molecular factory, delivering a drug only when a specific signal is given in bloodstreams or cells, or sorting molecular components in the trash for recycling. Thus, the technological advancements in molecular robots are estimated to increase their demand and fuel the growth of the global nanobots/nanorobots market during the forecast period.

The developing countries in Asia-Pacific, such as China and India, are conducting extensive research and development in the field of nanobots/nanorobots. For instance, in 2018, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) used a magnetic field to control nanobots in drug delivery, cancer therapies, and eye surgery applications. A similar type of research is conducted in India by the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IISC Bangalore). In 2018, IISC Bangalore developed a method to use nanorobots to deliver payloads to specific parts of a living cell that could transform the treatment of cancer. Likewise, according to the Nanotechnology Public Engagement Program (NPEP), nanomedicine products are still in the development phase in South Africa. In spite of high demand, the African region is dependent on imported medicines and other health technologies. Although there is a high requirement of treatment, poor economic conditions lead to the slow growth of the healthcare industry within the African region. Thus, the increasing R&D is expected to create lucrative opportunities for the manufacturers of nanobots/nanorobots during the review period.

The manufacturing of nanobots or nanorobots is cost-intensive due to factors such as limited availability of the materials required in their manufacturing and their high cost. The manufacturers of nanobots do not use conventional materials due to technical reasons. Materials such as silicon and gold are used, which are costly. Moreover, the materials used are in the size of a nanometer, which have to be produced by different methods, requiring high capital investments. The produced nanoparticles have to be assembled that requires special equipment with high accuracy, which again increases the overall cost. From the initial stages to the final stage, the manufacturing of nanobots requires high initial investments due to the high cost of specialized equipment with high accuracy, which is expected to restrain the growth of the global nanobots/nanorobots market during the forecast period.