We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Soft Continuum Robots Wind through Brain Pathways

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 11 Sep 2019
Print article
Image: A thread-like robot winds its way through a simulated brain (Photo courtesy of MIT).
Image: A thread-like robot winds its way through a simulated brain (Photo courtesy of MIT).
A new study shows how a magnetically steerable miniature robot can actively glide through narrow, winding pathways, such as the labyrinthine vasculature of the brain.

Under development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Cambridge, MA, USA), the self-lubricating soft continuum robot is composed of a core of nickel-titanium alloy, a homogeneous soft polymer matrix shell with uniformly dispersed ferromagnetic microparticles, and a biocompatible hydrogel skin that envelopes the surface, reducing friction by more than 10 times. The robots navigation is via omnidirectional steering based on magnetic actuation, enabled by programming ferromagnetic domains in the continuum soft body domain.

The robot is on the submillimeter-scale, and can be miniaturized below a few hundreds of micrometers in diameter, allowing it to navigate through complex and constrained environments. For the study, the researchers used a tortuous cerebrovascular silicon phantom with multiple aneurysms. The continuum robot was activated using a large magnet to steer it through the winding, narrow silicone vessels, which were filled with a liquid simulating the viscosity of blood. According to the researchers, the robot can also be functionalized so as to deliver clot-reducing drugs or break up blockages with laser light. The study was published on August 28, 2019, in Science Robotics.

“Existing platforms could apply magnetic field and do the fluoroscopy procedure at the same time to the patient, and the doctor could be in the other room, or even in a different city, controlling the magnetic field with a joystick,” said lead author Yoonho Kim, MSc, a graduate student in the MIT department of mechanical engineering. “Our hope is to leverage existing technologies to test our robotic thread in vivo in the next step.”

“Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. If acute stroke can be treated within the first 90 minutes or so, patients' survival rates could increase significantly,” said senior author Xuanhe Zhao, PhD, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering at MIT. “If we could design a device to reverse blood vessel blockage within this ‘golden hour’, we could potentially avoid permanent brain damage. That's our hope.”

Related Links:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Gold Member
12-Channel ECG
CM1200B
Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Information Management System
Innovian Anesthesia

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: Researchers have developed a novel risk score for cardiovascular complications after bone marrow transplant (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Tool Predicts Cardiovascular Risks after Bone Marrow Transplantation

Every year, thousands of people undergo bone marrow transplants to potentially cure serious diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, and immune deficiency disorders. While these transplants can be lifesaving,... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The new eye-safe laser technology can diagnose traumatic brain injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Diagnostic Hand-Held Device Detects Known Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury

The growing need for prompt and efficient diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of mortality globally, has spurred the development of innovative diagnostic technologies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.