A team of roboticists from the Multi-Scale Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with several Swiss hospitals, has developed a magnetically controlled robot that could potentially be used to treat people after a stroke. Their article is published in the journal Scientific robotics.
In an ischemic stroke, a blockage (usually a blood clot or plaque) becomes lodged in tiny vessels in the brain. The result is a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the brain, killing brain cells. Such strokes can cause brain damage and sometimes death. Their treatment is extremely time sensitive: the longer it takes to clear the blockage, the more brain damage occurs.
Current treatments involve medications that can break up the mass causing the blockage or the use of a guide wire inserted into a femoral artery and pushed until its tip reaches the blockage. Both therapies take time, meaning brain cells die while waiting for blood to reach them. In this new effort, the research team developed a new approach that allows for a much faster response.
The team involved developed a screw-shaped robot small enough to fit inside tiny blood vessels. Applying an external magnet causes the robot to spin, propelling itself forward. The team added a soft tip to the front of the robot to prevent damage to blood vessels.
According to the team, the robot could be used to move quickly through blood vessels until it reaches a blockage. It could also be inserted much closer to the brain. Once the blockage is reached, the robot could be used to pierce the material causing the reflux, allowing blood to pass through again.
So far, the team has tested their robot on silicon models, on a human placenta in their lab, and on a live pig. The robot performed well enough to continue testing, with the goal of treating human patients in the near future.
More information:
R. Dreyfus et al, Agile helical magnetic robot for improved endovascular access, Scientific robotics (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scirobotique.adh0298
Quote: Magnetically controlled robot can move through arteries to treat stroke patients (February 15, 2024) retrieved February 15, 2024 from
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