The robot snake can detect lung cancer. This is what has been developed by researchers from the United Kingdom who, thanks to this project, intend to reach places that are difficult to explore with the technologies known up to now. The tool could improve the detection and treatment of lung cancer and other lung diseases. In an article published in the journal of Soft Robotics last week, scientists at the University of Leeds unveiled the new ‘magnetic robot tentacle’, which is made up of magnetic discs and is about 2 millimeters thick.
The robot snake hunting for tumors
In the future, the use of the robot could be expanded to help doctors investigate other organs, such as the heart, kidneys or pancreas. “It’s disturbing,” Pietro Valdastri, lead researcher on the project and president of robotics and autonomous systems at the University of Leeds, said in an interview with the Washington Post. “But my goal is to find a way to reach the maximum possible depth inside the human body in the least invasive way.” The robot is still between 5 and 10 years old before being used in a clinic, but the device comes in the wake of a fleet of other robotic innovations that allow doctors to better scan a patient’s lungs for cancerous tissue.
The advantages over the bronchoscope
Doctors now use a medical device called a bronchoscope to examine patients’ lungs and airways. They typically have a diameter of 3.5 to 4 millimeters and are almost twice as wide as the snake-shaped robot presented. The width and stiffness of the bronchoscope limits the ability of doctors to venture deep into a patient’s lungs in search of cancer or other problematic tissues. Parts of the lungs are not examined, and could potentially contain cancer cells.
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