An invention by scientists in the Netherlands aims to break up blood clots without surgery or drugs. Blood clots are a serious health problem that can cause strokes, heart attacks and even death. Some blood clots can be removed by doctors using a flexible tool that goes inside the affected vein or artery, but others are too hard to reach. What if there was a way to break up those clots without surgery or drugs? CLICK TO GET KURT'S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, AND EASY HOW-TO'S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER Scientists have created tiny robots that can swim through your blood vessels and drill into the clots.

Robots may soon be taking over our brains -- but not for the reason you think. Mechanical engineers have developed a snake-like robot to navigate narrow pathways in the body -- particularly blood vessels in the brain. The scientists with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) hope the invention, now in the prototype stage, can be used to break up blood clots or treat strokes and aneurysms. A similar treatment called mechanical thrombectomy has been used for years, in which a metal wire had to be guided manually through vessels, starting all the way down in an artery in the upper thigh. But the treatment isn't ideal -- it requires a surgeon with specialized training, and involves using X-rays to guide the way, which could expose patients to tissue-damaging radiation.