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MRI Powered Pill-Sized Robot Swims Through Intestines
kkleiner writes "Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston have collaborated to create a robot that can swim through the intestines. The size of a large pill, the 'microswimmer' is powered by the strong magnetic fields generated by an MRI machine. A tail measuring 20mm x 5mm made of copper and flexible polymer vibrates due to the magnets and propels the little microrobot through the gut."
In other news, the TSA has announced a new screening process involving rubber gloves and an intestinal robot. Americans should be very familiar with the procedure, as one merely has to bend over and take it.
Er, ok.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
This is an important advance for those of us that, alas, need endoscopic views.
Having had way more than my share of cat scans in the past year (not to mention a Whipple procedure and an intubation of my common bile duct), I hope that the descendents of this device will help prevent some of you from sharing my surgical adventures.
As someone with a rather severe form of Crohns Disease, this is a godsend (and I'm saying that as an atheist!). I can assure you that anyone with a similarly debilitating intestinal disorder that inevitably leads to cancer feels the same for reasons I will spare you.
The many "score whatever funnies" that will certainly follow this story will be shamefully ignorant.
Brought to you by Carl's Junior.
Either the robot can only swim in one direction, or there are some crazy power electronics inside. The non longitudinal magnetic fields are
AC, and so there is no net positive field in any of the transverse directions. If it is the first one, I say big deal. The challenge would be to reliably move in transverse directions.
Can't help thinking of the Bug from the Matrix.
"That's either incredibly asinine or the most brilliant troll I've ever read. Not sure which." -Anonymous Coward
I type millimetres per minute and meant to put millimetres per second in the above comment.
The article says "A swallowed pill is essentially at the mercy of the movements of the GI tract. Not so with the microswimmer." Another Googled article informs me that the colon undergoes "Segmentation contractions which chop and mix the ingesta; antiperistaltic contractions propagate toward the ileum, and giant migrating contractions... a very intense and prolonged peristaltic contraction which strips an area of large intestine clear of contents." So among other things this little gadget is swimming downstream when the colon is trying to push things upstream. What does it feel like? Tickling? Gas pains?
When you have a colonoscopy, they give you a sedative (often Midazolam), a pain-killer (often Fentanyl), and sometimes general anesthesia. Of course that's a lot more invasive, but it probably doesn't take as long because the colon is a lot shorter than your whole GI tract. Sometimes the doctor has a little trouble getting a colonscope around a tight corner. Does this thing ever get stuck and how do they deal with it?
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
But does it tickle?
org.slashdot.post.SignatureNotFoundException: ewg
I don't know about you guys, but I have quite a bit of air in my colon.
Good news: the tiny and complex electroics in the robot may be extremely expensive, but they will be reusable.
Bad news: the robot will be reusable.
So out inside is filled with water for this little guy to swim? Anyone see how it can get stuck? Sounds pretty scary to me.
Why do they need such a powerful magnetic field? Or do they need the visual provided by the MRI to help guide it? I would think with the camera on it, that it could be guided with just that.
Since the MRI magnetic field is STATIC, not sure exactly how this little pill is going to move in arbitrary directions. The article isn't sufficiently detailed to answer this question. Unless they are planning to use the RF modulation energy (the same signal that has been known to burn patients in MRI's) -- not sure I'd be happy about that.
BTW, MRI scans run at least $1000-1500 for a quickie scan. So this technique sounds like it will ring up a bill of at least $5000 or more, for a session.
I kinda like the nano fuel cell idea better...
Robots get all the shitty jobs!
The TSA is drawing from the knowledge gained by the Navy with their trained dolphin program, and starting up their own trained tapeworm program for the traveler's enjoyment.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
The swimmer is POWERED by the MRI not controlled. Basically right now what they've got is a small device that has a tail that vibrates in the strong magnetic field from an MRI machine. That vibration can currently propel the device a few millimeters per second in water. That's all the article seems to say, I guess they intend to eventually put a small receiver controlling some sort of rudders as well as a camera and a small power supply? It doesn't say much about how the device will work if there isn't enough fluid for it to move through, do you just move away from the MRI and let your intestines do their job? Do you have to return the device to the hospital or do they not let you leave till you've "flushed" it out?
ok, please tell me how to POWER a device by a STATIC magnetic field. All common uses of magnetic fields for power require dynamic magnetic fields.
I give you a horseshoe magnet. Make it a motor WITHOUT anything else (no electric fields, etc).
This is genius! Think about possible extensions of this. We could have nanomanchines even going through the body killing disease and not have to worry about powering them.
DNA -- National Dyslexic Association
ok, reading the abstract of the research article provides further clues, though far from a complete explanation... "Here we design and characterize a miniature swimming mechanism that uses the magnetic fields of the MRI for both propulsion and wireless powering of the capsule. Our method uses both the static and the radio frequency (RF) magnetic fields inherently available in MRI to generate a propulsive force." As I suspected, they have to use the RF modulation signal since a static field by itself is not suitable for generating power. The abstract mentions a 20Hz modulation -- I guess they are commandeering the regular RF signals and/or injecting a 20Hz signal on top of it. For example, such a 20Hz signal could be extracted and generating an opposing dynamic magnetic field to create the needed motor. The abstract also mentions a net 0.85mw power output of the setup. I would have to dig into the standard MRI protocols to see what this means for the RF signal, but as I mentioned, this is the same signal that, if misused can (and has) cause severe burns in patients (and subsequent lawsuits). Also still of concern is the length of time of the procedure. Its got to be at least an hour or two, which I think means at least $5000 or more in scanner time, not counted any costs for the added technology.
There is no real control here. It's actually a step backwards from the free propagating pill in that it contains a basically dead weight propulsion package.
Others have indicated MRI operational cost is at a premium, so this is simply not economically practical even if it were controllable. Not to mention there is an acute shortage of MRI capacity around the country as is.
Junk 'science'.
Lemmiwinks? South Park Lemmiwinks song
Well basically what I pulled from the article is that the entire thing is vaporware as far as what they think it might eventually do. Getting some little device with no camera and no controllers to swim in a fish tank (not in any particular direction) externally powered by an MRI machine is not at all like having a device that won't cause any harm and can actually do something useful inside a patient.
I worry this can be used as a terrible tool for torture.
that the copper wire is safe from the thieves
Coolest scalextric track ever.
You know, there was a movies about something like this where a probe was manned by someone shrunk down, but this way it is manned by remote, which ends up allowing the same type of interaction....I guess we learn from our movies?!?
Obligatory 80s reference:
"Sirius Presents... PLASMANIA! HAHAHAHA"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6krSk2dddaI
(it's the bloodstream, not the intestines, but still...)
The MRI provides three kind of magnetic fields. A very strong static magnetic field, like one part needed for an electric motor. To create motion, like in an electric motor, an electric current is driven through the coils embedded in the tail and a force is generated according to Lorentz's Law. A microcontroller does a good job generating the required waveforms. So it swims with the right waveform.
The device needs power. Hey there is a way to generate RF field at will in the MRI, why not use that for wireless powering, since batteries are usually magnetic therefore incompatible with an MRI scanner. So power generation is solved with that red copper magnet wire loop right at the front of the platform...
The third, the gradient magnetic field is not utilized by this device. That could be used to steer the device, but that would require ferro-magnetic materials and those are not compatible with the operation of the MRI. There are other means to do steering.
Why an MRI? How am I gonna find where are your problematic spots?
Peter
(one of the author)
I smell a new sex toy in the making...
Bravo Slashdot! A post where Israel is mentioned and not a single mentally challenged individual went off on a tin foil hat rant about ZOG, "apartheid" and so on. I'm proud that there was only one blatant Jew hate post.