Not creepy at all
University of Leeds
Known
as a magnetic tentacle robot, it measures just 2 millimetres in diameter, about
twice the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen.
Magnets
on the outside of the patient will be used to guide the tentacle robot into
place.
The
device has been developed by a team of engineers, scientists and clinicians
based at the STORM Lab at the University of Leeds, which is pioneering the use
of robotic systems to assist in endoscopy and catheter procedures, where a fine
tube is inserted into body.
The
researchers have published their findings in the journal Soft Robotics.
The
proof of concept was based on laboratory tests involving a 3-D replica of a
bronchial tree modelled from anatomical data. The next phase of the research
will investigate the effectiveness of the device in navigating lungs taken from
a cadaver.
Limits of existing technology
Because
of its size, the bronchoscope can only travel as far as the upper levels of the
bronchial tree.
To
delve deeper into the lungs, a catheter or fine tube -- measuring about 2
millimetres in diameter -- is passed through the bronchoscope and then into the
smaller tubes of the lungs.
But
doctors are limited in how they can move a bronchoscope, making it difficult to
navigate the instrument and the catheter to where they are needed.
The
magnetic tentacle robot, however, has been developed to be much more
manoeuvrable and uses a robotic guidance system that is personalised for each
procedure.
Professor
Pietro Valdastri, Director of the STORM Lab who supervised the research, said:
"A magnetic tentacle robot or catheter that measures 2 millimetres and
whose shape can be magnetically controlled to conform to the bronchial tree
anatomy can reach most areas of the lung, and would be an important clinical
tool in the investigation and treatment of possible lung cancer and other lung
diseases.
"Our
system uses an autonomous magnetic guidance system which does away for the need
for patients to be X-rayed while the procedure is carried out."
Innovative
technology
To
develop the robotic system, the research team had to overcome two major challenges.
Firstly,
they had to make a device that was small, flexible and able to navigate the
twists and turns of the anatomy of the bronchial tree.
Secondly,
they needed an autonomous system to guide the magnetic tentacle robot into
place, doing away with the need for a doctor to manually manoeuvre an
instrument into place, which often involves the patient being exposed to
x-rays, and can be technically challenging for medical staff.
Small and flexible
robot
To
reduce the size of the robot while retaining controllability of motion, the
researchers manufactured it from a series of interlinked cylindrical segments,
each 2 millimetres in diameter and around 80 millimetres in length. The
segments were made of a soft elastomeric or rubber-like material which had been
impregnated with tiny magnetic particles.
Because
of the presence of the magnetic particles, the interlinked segments can move
somewhat independently under the effect of an external magnetic field. The
result is a magnetic tentacle robot which is highly flexible, able to shape
shift and small enough to avoid snagging on anatomical structures in the lungs.
Guidance system
Magnets
mounted on robotic arms on the outside of the patient would be used to guide
the device into the lungs in a process that would be tailor-made for each
procedure.
The
route through the bronchial tree is planned from pre-operative scans of a
patient's lungs and programmed into the robotic system. As the magnets outside
of the patient move, they develop forces on the magnetic particles in the
segments of the catheter, causing them to change shape or direction -- enabling
the robot to be manoeuvred through the lungs and to a site of a suspicious
lesion.
Once
at the target location, the robot is used to take a tissue sample or deliver
treatment.
It
may be several years before "magnetic tentacle" technology is
available in a hospital setting.
The
STORM lab at the University of Leeds is revolutionising the technology used in
endoscopic and catheter investigations.
They
have created a protype of a low-cost endoscope -- used to investigate the upper
gastrointestinal tract -- which could be used in low to middle income countries
where lack of access to expensive equipment is hampering screening programmes.
Magnetic
technology is also at the heart of a robotic colonoscopy system that is easier
for staff to operate and kinder for patients.
The
STORM lab is part of the Leeds Centre for Cancer Research which was launched
earlier in the year.
Video: https://youtu.be/CP8BYFwsYSo