Rabat – Five years of development have led Moroccan researchers to finally patent and prototype the “Ves4” robot that safely extracts venom from scorpions. Development of the robot started at Hassan II University in Casablanca five years ago as part of the dissertation of then-PhD candidate Mo’az Mokammel.
An article in science magazine Sci Dev highlights how the team of Moroccan researchers developed a lightweight robot that can safely extract scorpion venom by using an electric charge that does not harm the insects.
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Ironically scorpion venom is both the most deadly and the most expensive venom, it holds a variety of “exciting medical prospects” according to a 2018 study. Scorpion venom is a much-desired ingredient used in the development of potential new medicine against malaria and cancer, two highly deadly diseases.
In 2020 there were 241 million cases of malaria, leading to an estimated 627,000 deaths according to WHO data, while in the same year cancer claimed nearly 10 million lives.
The process towards developing the robot commenced in 2017, with researchers eager to find a way to extract scorpion venom in a way that does not require manual extraction. Currently scorpion venom is extracted, or “milked” from scorpions manually, which is a dangerous and tediously slow process.
One of the team’s members, Omar Tannan, explained to Sci Dev how the robot makes the process of venom extraction both safe and efficient. The Moroccan robot allows scientists to put up to 35 scorpions inside the robot, which then applies an electric charge that causes the scorpions to each discharge one drop of the precious venom.
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With scorpion venom costing $8,000 per gram, the robot could facilitate research and provide a safe and efficient way to extract the valuable “golden liquid” without harming or killing the scorpions used.
The team’s robot was finally patented at the end of 2021, and a prototype is set to be further optimized during the production phase of the robot that could change venom extraction from scorpions and facilitate exciting medical research.
