The innovators: nanoscale devices making big strides in surgery

An Imperial College London team is pioneering nanoscale robotic surgical instruments which can, among other uses, better target cancer cells with chemotherapy drugs

When Chinese president Xi Jinping visited Britain last October, one of the more unusual gifts he received was one he couldn't actually see - a model of the Great Wall of China which was the same width as a human hair.

Researchers at Imperial College had used advanced 3D printing techniques to make the model. But the more practical use of the technology is for the development of advanced surgical instruments. The detail of these precision surgery instruments cannot be seen by the human eye, but they are expected to replace the large robotic instruments used in operating theatres at present.