Robo-Maggots Will Munch Through Brain Tumors
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| (Gross, but great for minimally invasive surgery) |
- Neurosurgeon J Marc Simard of the University of Maryland School of Medicine has been developing a prototype for a larvae-esque robot that could get inside and eat away at a brain tumor from the inside.
- The bendy maggot-bot can zap tumors with a electrocautery tool, then suction out the dead tissue. It can be controlled remotely, making it possible for the surgeon to monitor the tumor and direct the robot to certain tissue while the patient is undergoing an MRI.
- The challenge is that controlling the robot remotely can't be allowed to interfere with the magnetic field that's integral to the imaging process, so it can't have an electromagnetic motor. Right now, the robot uses this system of pulleys and and strings to move around:
- However, this device is still being tested on both pig and human cadavers, so it'll be awhile before this bug makes it to a hospital near us.
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