One of the challenges of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery is the insertion of surgical instruments into the patient’s body through thin catheters. Scientists have begun to tackle this problem with magnetic instruments that shape and unshape as needed.
The experimental MaSOChain (Magnetic Soft Robot Chain) system was developed at the ETH Zurich Institute in Switzerland by a team led by PhD student Hongri Gu. He is currently a postdoc at the University of Konstanz.
In a nutshell, MaSOChain incorporates a 3D printed surgical instrument composed of small rigid polymer segments linked by flexible elastic connectors. Each segment has a small strategically placed magnet inside. When inserted into the catheter, all components line up end-to-end “like a pearl necklace”.
When the device is pushed out of the end of the catheter, its magnets are drawn together, giving it the desired shape (wider than the catheter). Among other things, this technology has previously been used to create graspers that can grab and move items inside the body, and three-piece steerable endoscope cameras.
In either case, once the surgical task is completed, the instrument components revert to a fine row of pearls configuration when withdrawn from the catheter. The entire setup can then be sterilized and reused.
The study is described in a paper recently published in the journal. Nature CommunicationsYou can see the MaSoCain system in morphing action in the video below.
How to make a self-folding surgical instrument
Source: ETH Zurich
