Complex surgical procedures have now gone to the nanoscale with tiny robots performing procedures. Now, researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed a convoy of miniature robots, called TrainBots, at the millimetre scale to perform endoscopic surgery. The TrainBot links a series of individual micro-robots like a convoy, equipped with slip-proof feet, to be able to transport endoscopic instruments. This works in a wireless mode, a rotating magnetic field controlling individual robots in coordination with the others, enabling movements in a plane with the control of rotation.
The researchers in Dresden, Germany, have already used the TrainBot units to simulate a surgical procedure in a simulated bile duct cancer case. In such cases, bile ducts are often blocked. Bile backs up, which is known to be dangerous for the patient. To open the blockage, a flexible endoscope is inserted through the mouth into the small intestine, and then into the bile duct. But the challenge is to navigate the sharp angle from the small intestine into the bile duct. The TrainBot comes in handy here.
It manoeuvred an endoscopic instrument to remove the tissue causing the blockage using electrical currents. Once the tip of the wire electrode arrives at the site, electrical voltage is applied and a tissue blockage is gradually removed electrically through a procedure called “electrocauterization”. The wire electrode used was 25-cm-long and three-and-a-half times heavier than the TrainBot unit. The successful procedure — although in a simulated condition — has infused confidence among the researchers to extend it to real endoscopic procedures.
Science is a world in itself. Here are some interesting facts that connect with you
Nirad Mudur