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The team described the "magnetically steerable hydrogel coated robotic wire" in an article published in Robotic science. The core of the wire is nickel-titanium alloy, both flexible and elastic. It is covered with a rubbery paste, or ink, which is encrusted with magnetic particles. It is then covered with a hydrogel, which makes the wire smooth and friction free, and the final product can be controlled with the help of magnets.
Today, surgeons usually eliminate blood clots in the brain by inserting a thin wire into the person's main artery. Surgeons use a fluoroscope, which helps to visualize the blood vessel using X-rays, to manually rotate and guide the wire into the damaged brain vessel. A catheter is then threaded along the wire to administer drugs or other coagulation therapies. But the procedure physically strains the surgeons, exposed to the repeated radiation of the fluoroscope. And the wires can damage the liners of the ship.
On the other hand, this robotic wire is controlled by magnets and surgeons could guide it from outside the operating room. They would be protected from repeated radiation exposures and could possibly perform remote procedures using a joystick. Yes, robotic brain surgery remotely with the help of a doctor. a joystick
With the hydrogel, there is less risk of friction on the vessel walls and the device could help surgeons to penetrate even further into the brain. "One of the challenges of surgery has been to navigate complex blood vessels in the brain, which has a very small diameter and that commercial catheters can not reach," said Kyujin Cho, professor of engineering. Mechanical at the Seoul National University. . "This research has shown potential for overcoming this challenge and enabling surgical interventions in the brain without open surgery."
The robotic wire is not ready for clinical use, but the team has demonstrated its agility by passing the wire in an obstacle course consisting of small rings, similar to those used to put on a rope. needle. They also created a life-sized replica of the main blood vessels of the brain and guided the robot through these narrow and winding paths. Finally, they hope that the robotic wire can deliver drugs reducing clots or dissolve blockages with a laser.
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