Catheter-shaped robotic devices could be guided remotely within the body, or exercise semi-autonomous control. Steerable Soft Robots Could Enhance Medical Applications
EPFL (Switzerland), November 28, 2022
Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL) and the U.K.'s Imperial College London have produced catheter-shaped soft robots with sophisticated motion control. When used as catheters, the fiber-based robots could be guided remotely or semi-autonomously to a specific destination within a patient's body. The researchers used thermal drawing to generate fibers from thermoplastic elastomers, with multiple micrometer-scale channels grooved along their length to accommodate mechanisms like tendons. "In addition to the tendons, the fibers can integrate optical guides, electrodes, and microchannels that enable drug delivery, imaging, electrical recording and stimulation, and other tools commonly used in robotics and medical applications," explained EPFL's Andreas Leber. ... '
No comments:
Post a Comment