The Nano Robotics Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has received $787,000 from the National Institutes of Health, which will be used by CMU to develop slimy capsule robots that can be controlled in the human body. Capsule robots will replace camera imaging, drug injection, tissue sampling, etc. of invasive endoscopes. Although the FDA approved the use of pill cameras in 2001, they have been able to pass only natural peristalsis and imaging in the human body.
"If you miss something, you can't go back. If you want to stay in one place for a while, you can't. If you want to do a drug delivery or biopsy, there is no way to do this because we can't control the capsule." MetinSitti, head of the robotics laboratory and professor of mechanical engineering, said.
The capsule robot has two magnets at the end that allow the doctor to move the robot through another magnet outside the body. By careful manipulation, it can distort and spin in the patient's body and even change its shape. “You can put a drug in the middle chamber and inject the drug by changing the shape of the capsule,†adds Sitti. “This is due to its soft body made of flexible elastomers.â€
Currently, the team is experimenting with different prototypes in animals. Future versions will look at how to add some fragile capsule surfaces - inspired by Stanford's StickyBot gecko - by adding tiny fibers that are strong enough to stick to the TV wall. They can also grab tissue samples and once the capsules leave the body, we can collect them.
The Nano Robotics Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University has been working on various capsule robots since 2005. They expect a working prototype to be completed next year, but said the FDA approval process may take another decade.
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