Micro robot surgeons are a reality.

An impressive advance.

Do you remember that future shown in fiction where complex surgeries are performed by small millimeter robots capable of navigating inside the human body with precision, well, that reality is getting closer.

A group of researchers from the German cancer research center DKFZ has just revealed an incredible innovation, a new surgical tool composed of a convoy of microbots called Train boots, it was used to perform minimally invasive endoscopic microsurgery, unfortunately no video images were provided, only static images, but that will not stop me from sharing this impressive achievement with you.

These millimeter-sized Train Bots were specifically designed to address medical challenges such as administering medications and performing surgical procedures in hard-to-reach areas. The research team is optimistic about the promising results obtained in organ models, as highlighted by Moonkwang. Jeong, the first author of the study, said, "We are confident that it will soon be possible to use robotic and miniature equipment to perform a series of tasks in complex endoscopic surgeries."

Features and capabilities

The concept is innovative by joining forces, small robots can tackle challenging tasks with surprising efficiency. In one of the experiments, the researchers used a convoy of three Train Bot units to simulate a procedure in the bile duct, an essential channel that transports bile from the body. liver to the small intestine and this is important because bile duct cancer often causes blockages in this channel preventing the flow of bile and causing serious complications.

To solve this problem it is necessary to remove the obstruction and this is precisely the focus of endoscopic procedures that are traditionally inserted through the mouth and guided through the digestive tract to the small intestine, but this process can be complicated and uncomfortable for the patient. , that's where the convoy of robots comes in that can remove the blockage through a process called electrocautery.

These small robots were carefully designed to navigate through the complex biological structures of the human body, equipped with “non-slip feet” they can move in slippery environments such as inside the body without losing control, the control of the train Bots is done without cables using an external rotating magnetic field that guides your movements with surgical precision.

We are witnessing a revolution in the field of robotic medicine. If these continue at this pace it will not be long until convoys of tiny robots are performing complex surgeries without the need for large incisions and with a much faster recovery for patients.