New invention reveals new directions for surgical robot development

Release date: 2014-07-09

Today, surgical robots have been widely used in the fields of thoracic surgery, oncology surgery, and general surgery. However, current surgical robots have not solved the problem of lack of tactile feedback well, which will affect the accuracy and flexibility of the surgical operation, and also increase the possibility of damage to normal tissues and organs of the human body. In addition, the size of the surgical robot is too large, and it is greatly limited in use. With the continuous improvement of robot technology, surgical robots have begun to develop in a more flexible and smaller direction. Scientists are even trying to use nanotechnology to make micro-robots, which will promote the development of surgery to the molecular biology of human organisms.

Software surgery robot

The current surgical robots represented by the Da Vinci robotic system are robot bodies made of hard metal, but correspondingly, except for the bones, most tissues are soft. Therefore, such a rigid robot must rely on accurate sensor feedback and high-performance control systems to ensure patient safety, so as not to damage our delicate tissues and organs. Scientists have realized that if polymers are used to make software robots, their elastomers can be compared to human skin, thus eliminating many of the safety concerns of human-computer interaction.

The broad prospects of software robots have spurred a boom in emerging areas of cross-materials, mechanical and electrical engineering. In 2013, American scientists developed a software robot made of elastic rubber and injected with compressed air inside to control the robot. Robots made of rubber greatly reduce the likelihood of surgery causing trauma to the human body. In addition, the rubber robot can enter a small space, and can also change its shape, so that it can adapt to the requirements of some complex surgery. This software robot is inexpensive and can be made with 3D printing technology and costs only $20.

The emergence of software robots shows the broad prospects and unlimited possibilities for the development of surgical robots. But it also creates a problem: highly compatible, non-linear materials present challenges in modeling, productivity, and control that can lead to inaccurate motion. Industry insiders predict that with the advancement of technology, this kind of software robot will one day be able to handle various complicated operations like the Da Vinci robot.

Portable surgical robot

Da Vinci is expensive and is a fixture that weighs up to half a ton, making it greatly limited in terms of deployment. Reducing the physical size of robots and developing more portable, smaller, and less expensive robots to accommodate the needs of a wider range of hospitals is another opportunity for the development of surgical robots. Currently, several research institutions around the world have developed several smaller surgical robots for specific operations.

In 2011, a research team at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States developed a snake-shaped surgical robot (CARDIA-ARM). It has a "snake head" (with a camera and some surgical instruments installed inside). Its "snake body" is composed of several sections that can be bent freely, with a total length of 300mm. The "snake head" and "snake body" have a diameter of 12mm. According to the developer, the snake-shaped robot is suitable for various vascular operations, especially complex arterial vascular surgery, such as removal of plaques of lipids attached to the inner wall of the artery. As long as a small opening is made in the skin on the chest and inserted into the snake-shaped robot, the operation can be performed, and the patient recovers quickly after the operation.

Researchers at the Department of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University have developed a new type of portable surgical robot that sells for only $200,000 to $250,000 per unit, which is about 1/4 to 1/5 of the current market price of surgical robots. It is understood that the sensitivity of this kind of robot is extremely high, and it is suitable for high-precision surgery including prostate cancer resection, because various nerves are densely packed near the prostate, and accidental injury will cause sexual nerves during artificial surgery, causing impotence in patients, etc. Adverse consequences. The surgical robot's incision is very precise and will never damage the peripheral nerves of the prostate.

Micro surgery robot

Putting the robot in the eye for medical surgery may become a reality in the near future. Researchers in Zurich are building micro-robots to help with delicate surgery. The robot has a retractable needle to detect the body part (eyes), which is only 1/4 mm in diameter, which is equivalent to the thickness of 3-4 human hair. . It cannot carry any type of battery or drive compared to conventional robots. To solve this problem, the researchers used a series of electromagnets placed on the patient's head to charge the power robot. Then by adjusting the strength of the electromagnet, the robot can push or pull up in the body.

And NASA scientists are turning their attention to the inner world of the human body, researching and developing micro-medical robots that are invisible to the naked eye. They are much smaller than the blood cells in our blood vessels. They will patrol in our bodies and perform extinction. The task of disease. Human blood contains white blood cells and red blood cells. The medical robot envisioned by scientists is like "machine" white blood cells. It is a small device that can devour bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.

Sweden has also begun to manufacture miniature medical robots made of multilayer polymers and gold. It has a shape similar to a human arm, and the elbows and wrists are flexible, with 2 to 4 fingers. The experiment has entered a stage where the robot can pick up and move the glass beads that are invisible to the naked eye. Scientists hope that this tiny medical robot can work in blood, urine and cellular media to capture and move individual cells into microsurgical instruments.

The combination of nanotechnology and bionics allows biophysicists to model a wide variety of micro-robots in every aspect of the life process. It is expected that in the near future, nanotechnology will be used to create robots that move away from blood vessels in order to specifically remove deposits on the vessel wall and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Robots that can enter the interstitial space to specifically clear cancer cells can also be created. To overcome this incurable disease.

Source: Medical Device Innovation Network

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