(ETX Daily Up) – Researchers at the University of Leeds, England, have developed a miniature magnetic robot capable of entering the lungs and detecting the presence of cancerous tumors there.
This robot, made up of very small magnetic tentacles, was designed to be able to reach the smallest bronchi of the lungs, in order to take tissue samples or even to administer, if necessary, a specific anti-cancer treatment.
It measures only 2 millimeters in diameter and is guided inside the lungs by large magnets located outside the patient. So far, it has only been tested in the laboratory, on a 3D replica of a bronchial tree. The next phase of the research will be to study the effectiveness of the device in lungs taken from a cadaver.
Currently, the procedure involves inserting a flexible, tube-like instrument, regarding 3.5 to 4 millimeters in diameter, into the lungs through the nose or mouth. However, this process has its limits, because it does not allow certain higher levels of the bronchial tree to be explored. To penetrate deeper into the lungs, a catheter or thin tube is then passed through the bronchoscope to be able to reach these narrower areas. However, the manipulation is quite limited and it is often difficult to get precisely where the doctors would like it to be.
This is precisely the purpose of this magnetic robot: to be able to reach any area of the lungs by being “guided” from the outside, by a clever system of magnets mounted on robotic arms.
According to these researchers, such a robot might position itself as an important clinical tool in the research and treatment of lung cancer, and even other lung diseases.
Ultimately, such technology might also prove to be easier to use for staff and gentler for patients.
The researchers published their first results in the journal Soft Robotics.
Discover how this amazing robot works in video: youtu.be/CP8BYFwsYSo
David Benard
