Minimally Invasive Robots Target Tumours
July 23, 2009 – 8:02 am
The Israeli Institute of Technology has developed a robot that can crawl through human veins to perform precise medical procedures. The ViRob could potentially diagnose and treat artery blockage and cancer, reports E-Health Europe.
Researchers at the Technicon Institute have produced a basic prototype of the 1-x-12-mm device. Possible applications include delivering drugs to targeted areas to treat lung cancer, for example, and tasking it with harvesting samples from various parts of the body.
“This robot is a breakthrough in the biomedical industry, as it allows doctors to [reach] inaccessible areas in the body with minimal invasion,” Professor Moshe Shoham, leader of the Technicon researchers and head of Kahn Medical Robotics Laboratory, told E-Health Europe. “The technology enables targeted treatment without scattering materials to unnecessary areas in the body.”
The ViRob has tiny arms that allow it to stabilise against blood pressure as it navigates through blood vessels, the digestive tract and respiratory system to the veins and arteries. The device is powered by an external magnetic field. It can be controlled for long periods of time during procedures and achieves speeds of 9 mm/second.
Next up for the researchers is loading up the robot with electrodes, miniature drug capsules and other extras to treat diseases.
Tags: Drug delivery, Robots, Technicon, ViRob
