# US 10,945,603 B2 · Detecting potential health risks using nanorobotics > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,945,603 B2 - Document ID: US10945603B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/463,260 - Filed: 2017-03-20 - Published: 2018-09-20 - Granted: 2021-03-16 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-20 - Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Inventors: Brian Yoo; Victoria Rinaldi; Harish Venkata Kajur; Ronald Sedlak - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10945603B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/0022: {Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet} - A61B 5/073: {Intestinal transmitters} - A61B 5/14546: {for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes} - A61B 5/746: {Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms} - G01N 27/3278: {involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanogaps or nanoparticles (nanopores G01N33/48721; magnetic beads G01N27/745)} - G16H 40/67: for remote operation - A61B 5/1473: invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter - A61B 5/411: {Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance} - A61B 5/4839: {combined with drug delivery} - A61B 5/6846: {specially adapted to be brought in contact with an internal body part, i.e. invasive} - A61B 5/742: {using visual displays (displays for heart-related electrical signals, e.g. ECG, A61B5/339)} - A61B 2560/0214: of power generation or supply - A61B 2560/028: Arrangements to prevent overuse, e.g. by counting the number of uses - A61B 2562/0285: Nanoscale sensors - A61M 2250/00: Specially adapted for animals - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} ## Abstract In one example, a device includes a detector. a sensor, a transceiver, and a reservoir. The detector triggers a chemical reaction upon contact with a target substance in a user's body. The sensor detects when the chemical reaction occurs. The transceiver transmits a first electronic signal containing a record of the chemical reaction to a user endpoint device for use in detecting potential health risks and receives a second electronic signal containing an instruction to dispense, from the reservoir, a medication for treating a condition indicated by a presence of the target substance in the user's body from the user endpoint device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A nano-scale robotic device for deployment in a user's body, the nano-scale robotic device comprising: a processing system including at least one processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations, operations comprising: releasing, from a reservoir of the nano-scale robotic device, a detector that triggers a chemical reaction upon contact with a target substance in the user's body; detecting when the chemical reaction occurs; transmitting a first electronic signal to a user endpoint device via a short-range wireless communication protocol, wherein the first electronic signal contains a record of the chemical reaction, and wherein the user endpoint device acts as an intermediary between the nano-scale robotic device and a remote server located in a core network that is accessible to the user endpoint device via a radio access network; receiving a second electronic signal from the user endpoint device via the short-range wireless communication protocol, wherein the second electronic signal contains an instruction from the remote server to dispense a medication for treating a condition indicated by a presence of the target substance in the user's body; detecting that a supply of the detector is close to being exhausted; and transmitting, in response to the detecting that the supply of the detector is close to being exhausted, a third electronic signal to the user endpoint device via the short-range wireless protocol, where the third electronic signal contains a notification that the nano-scale robotic device is close to expiration. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 1, wherein the nano-scale robotic device is sized to be ingested into the user's body. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 1, wherein the nano-scale robotic device is sized to be injected into the user's body. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: storing energy in a power source from a renewable source of energy to power the nano-scale robotic device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 4, wherein the power source comprises a thermoelectric generator that converts heat in the user's body into the energy. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 4, wherein the power source comprises a photovoltaic cell that converts infrared radiation absorbed by skin of the user's body into the energy. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise: detecting that the nano-scale robotic device is close to expiration when the energy that is stored is close to being exhausted. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 1, wherein the detector is an enzyme. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 1, where the detector is a catalyst. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: storing the first electronic signal and the third electronic signal in a local memory of the nano-scale robotic device until the nano-scale robotic device is close enough to the user endpoint device to transmit the first electronic signal and the third electronic signal to the user endpoint device via the short-range wireless communication protocol. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The nano-scale robotic device of claim 1, wherein the nano-scale robotic device further comprises: a shell to enclose the processing system and the non-transitory computer-readable medium; and a structure on the shell to adhere the nano-scale robotic device to a surface in the user's body. ### Claim 12 A method comprising: detecting, by a sensor of a nano-scale robotic device deployed in a user's body, when a chemical reaction is triggered by a detector released from the nano-scale robotic device coming into contact with a target substance in the user's body; transmitting, by a transceiver of the nano-scale robotic device, a first electronic signal containing a record of the chemical reaction via a short-range wireless communication protocol to a user endpoint device, wherein the user endpoint device acts as an intermediary between the nano-scale robotic device and a remote server located in a core network that is accessible to the user endpoint device via a radio access network; receiving, by the transceiver, a second electronic signal from the remote server via the user endpoint device, wherein the second electronic signal contains an instruction from the remote server to dispense a medication for treating a condition indicated by a presence of the target substance in the user's body; dispensing, from a reservoir of the nano-scale robotic device, the medication; detecting, by the sensor, when a supply of the detector is close to being exhausted; and transmitting, by the transceiver in response to the detecting that the supply of the detector is close to being exhausted, a third electronic signal to the remote server via the user endpoint device, wherein the third electronic signal contains a notification that the nano-scale robotic device is close to expiration. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the nano-scale robotic device is sized to be ingested into the user's body. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the nano-scale robotic device that is sized to be injected into the user's body. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the transceiver is a short-range transceiver. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: storing, by a power source of the nano-scale robotic device, energy from a renewable source of energy to power the sensor and the transceiver. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the storing comprises: converting heat in the user's body into the energy. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the storing comprises: converting infrared radiation absorbed by skin of the user's body into the energy. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the detector is at least one selected from a group of: an enzyme and a catalyst. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the first electronic signal, the second electronic signal, and the third electronic signal are exchanged between the nano-scale robotic device and the user endpoint device over a secure communications channel of the short-range wireless communication protocol.