Mini surgical instrument can change shape inside the body

Researchers from Swiss ETH (Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) have developed a mini surgical device that can change shape by magnetic induction. Data from the study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Micro-invasive surgeries may soon gain a new tool. The prototype MaSoChain (magnetic robotic current) promises to be a solution for the instrumentation of minimally invasive surgeries.

This type of procedure, also called laparoscopic surgery, shortens and improves patients’ recovery time by avoiding large incisions.

However, some barriers, such as the size and possibilities of instruments, still pose challenges for such clinical management, as surgical instruments must be small enough to pass through a thin tube called a catheter.

But Hongri Gu, in his PhD research at ETH, developed a 3D-printed tool that can change its structure, take on different formats and optimize it.

MaSoChain has a pearl necklace-like format; where pearls refer to a rigid structure containing magnets that are interconnected by a malleable part that allows the material to bend.

Besides shape-shifting, the equipment is also steerable, allowing viewing from different angles via a micro-camera.

Versatile, adaptable and customizable, the new equipment offers many uses.

According to the developers, there are several advantages to using the equipment, such as using a single tool for various functions.

The robotic chain is not disposable. It can go through the sterilization process and be reused in new procedures.

For Gu and his collaborators, “designing intelligent miniature surgical instruments is at the forefront of the robotics revolution” because they optimize the entire process, making it safer, more accurate and stable.