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The microbivore is a hypothetical micromachine that functions as an artificial white blood cell, designed to eliminate foreign organisms in the bloodstream. It would require atom-by-atom production based on mechanosynthesis, a technology that may be developed by 2020-2030. The microbivore would use a “digest and dump” protocol to gobble up bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and could be directed to leave the bloodstream through the gut when desired. It has the potential to revolutionize medicine and could benefit many people.
A microbivore is a speculative future device, a micromachine with numerous internal nanomachines, that would function as an artificial white blood cell, or phagocyte. While a detailed design for a microbivore has been outlined by its inventor, Robert Freitas, we currently lack the means to manufacture one.
Including moving parts as small as 150 nanometers, manufacturing a microbivore would likely require atom-by-atom production based on mechanosynthesis. “Mechanosynthesis” refers to chemical reactions orchestrated by specific programmed movements of nanoscale robotic arms. This manufacturing technology has been termed molecular nanotechnology by its principal creator, Dr. Eric Drexler. Some futurists anticipate the development of molecular nanotechnology in the time frame 2020-2030.
The medical necessity of a microbivore is obvious: there are a number of diseases that involve the presence of foreign organisms in the bloodstream. Collectively, these are called sepsis, with ~1.5 million annual cases and ~0.5 million annual deaths worldwide. Foreign infections in the bloodstream are especially dangerous for immunocompromised individuals, such as those with AIDS. Many of the current therapies are crude and simply stop the growth of foreign organisms in the bloodstream instead of eliminating them completely. Many doctors would appreciate a synthetic device capable of performing search and destroy missions on such microbes.
The microbivore is an oblate spheroidal device, 3.4 microns long and 2.0 microns wide. A micron is one-millionth of a meter, similar in size to most eukaryotic cells. A microbivore would consist of 610 billion precisely arranged structural atoms, with about 150 billion molecules of gas or water when in operation. To ensure high reliability, the design includes tenfold redundancy for most of the internal mechanisms, with the exception of only the largest structural elements.
Like natural phagocytes, the microbivore would use a “digest and dump” protocol to gobble up bacteria, fungi, and viruses unlucky enough to cross its path. Covered with reversible species-specific binding sites, the offending microbes would attach themselves to the microbivore’s surface. The device would then extend tiny nanorobotic manipulators, attach them to the microbe, then direct it to an ingestion port, similar to a squid that wraps its tentacles around its prey and then pushes it into its mouth. After entering the ingestion port, the target microbe would be mixed using mechanical comminution blades, then passed to a digestion chamber where specifically selected enzymes would break down the target into a biologically inactive effluent, subsequently releasing it into the bloodstream.
The microbivores would be administered intravenously and could be directed to leave the bloodstream through the gut when desired. Initial estimates suggest that microbivores are approximately 1,000 times faster and 80 times more efficient than natural white blood cells.
The mass manufacture and therapeutic use of microbivores could revolutionize medicine. Unless there are unforeseen and insurmountable challenges, many people currently living can benefit from microbivore-based therapies. Many diseases could only be cured if the body’s natural defenses could be helped from the outside.
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