Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a remote-controlled robotic system for the emergency treatment of aneurysms and strokes. The neurointervention platform created by Xuanhe Zhao’s team consists of a robotic arm containing a magnet capable of controlling and directing the movement of a fine, malleable guidewire inside blood vessels. A surgeon operates the device remotely using a kind of joystick, while following the wire in real time with X-ray imaging. In tests, the system was used to successfully navigate through narrow and winding blood vessels in a realistic model of the human cerebrovascular system and in equally difficult conditions in pigs (Science Robotics, April 13). It is hoped that in the future, surgeons in advanced medical centers will be able to use the system to perform procedures on patients in smaller hospitals.
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A robot that treats strokes remotely
Artist's rendering of the robotic arm with a magnet to control the guidewire
Taikri imagem mapa WU, P. C. et al. Geophysical Research Letters. 2022
