To develop the needed technology, computing, materials, electronic device manufacturing, and other areas will need to contribute. There is a close connection between so-called intelligent materials and micromachines, in the sense that intelligent materials can become the materials for producing micromachines and their smaller versions, which should be called nanomachines. The world of micromachines is one where the basic parts have dimensions that range from 10nm to 1mm. Obvious applications of micromachines are in medical treatment, post-assembly precision machinery, and in cases where precise work must be done in special kinds of environments such as high pressures, vacuums, etc., such as the ocean or in space. But, at least in Japan the use of micromachines in medical treatment is thought to be the most concrete application area.
Japanese reports show concrete images of potential micromachines used in medical treatment.
For example a drug transport vehicle. Conventionally, the entire body gets a drug dose, whether given orally or by injection. This can limit the use of strong, potentially toxic drugs. Another example relates to micro-robots. It ought to be possible to go through tubular cavities such as blood vessels, the spinal cord cavity, etc., with a micro mobile robot.