Contactless needle
Researchers have long been attracted to the idea of a small surgical needle that can enter the body through a 1-2 mm puncture to perform a biopsy, suture wounds or deliver chemotherapy directly to tumors. Controlled by external magnetic forces without the help of wires, human or robotic hands, this instrument could provide more accurate, safe and much less invasive surgery. But there is one catch: to make manipulations less invasive, researchers are trying to reduce the magnetic tool, but as the size of the device decreases, its reaction to the magnetic forces that make it move weakens. Therefore, the main task is to create a magnetic mini-tool that could be moved with sufficient force to penetrate the tissues and perform the work for which it is intended.
Axel Krieger and a group of engineers from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center have found a solution: a hollow surgical needle with magnets inside. When stimulated by external forces, these magnets slide from one end of the needle to the other, hitting the rigid plate and providing sufficient force to penetrate the tissue. The device was named "Pulse Actuated Collisions for Tissue-penetrating Needle".
The group's research demonstrates for the first time that remotely controlled magnetic needles can be strong enough to perform surgical manipulations. Krieger and his colleagues connected a thread of suture material to a needle and, controlling a joystick connected to a computer, sutured the cornea of a rabbit's eye with it. It is known that the cornea is a dense structure, access to it requires high penetrating forces from the needle. This experiment proved that magnetic needles can have sufficient strength and accuracy to perform delicate operations with minimal invasiveness. The device can also be used to perform biopsies and deliver chemotherapeutic drugs directly to tumors.
Currently, the group is working on improving motion control algorithms and equipping with visualization methods to accurately control the device and make manipulations safer.
Article O.Erin et al. Overcoming the Force Limitations of Magnetic Robotic Surgery: Magnetic Pulse Actuated Collisions for Tissue-Penetrating-Needle for Tetherless Interventions is published in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Johns Hopkins University: On tap: Less invasive, more precise surgery, performed by a magnetic needle.