磁控微型机器人车队协同搬运器械，实现微创手术新突破
A convoy of magnetic millirobots transports endoscopic instruments for minimally-invasive surgery
- 多台微型机器人组成车队，协同提升运载力
- 单台推力提升三倍，可爬行于光滑生物组织表面
- 首次实现磁控机器人电灼术，用于胆道梗阻治疗
小型机器人在微创医疗中潜力巨大，但受限于软组织复杂环境，单个微型机器人难以在光滑生物表面提供足够牵引力来携带导管或电线等器械。本文首次报道了名为TrainBot的微型机器人车队，通过协同作业，其产生的驱动力约为单个单位的两倍，可运输长且重的负载。每个单元的足部经过优化，使推进力提升约三倍，有效克服滑腻表面阻力。采用人尺度永磁装置实现无线驱动与控制，成功将重物经狭窄生物腔道（如肠道、胆管）运送到位。我们首次演示了由TrainBot完成的电灼术，用于缓解胆道梗阻，并开通引流与给药通道。该技术为未来微创手术中的微型机器人协同策略提供了新思路。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Small-scale robots offer significant potential in minimally-invasive medical procedures. Due to the nature of soft biological tissues, however, robots are exposed to complex environments with various challenges in locomotion, which is essential to overcome for useful medical tasks. A single mini-robot often provides insufficient force on slippery biological surfaces to carry medical instruments, such as a fluid catheter or an electrical wire. Here, for the first time, we report a team of millirobots (TrainBot) that can generate around two times higher actuating force than a TrainBot unit by forming a convoy to collaboratively carry long and heavy cargos. The feet of each unit are optimized to increase the propulsive force around three times so that it can effectively crawl on slippery biological surfaces. A human-scale permanent magnetic set-up is developed to wirelessly actuate and control the TrainBot to transport heavy and lengthy loads through narrow biological lumens, such as the intestine and the bile duct. We demonstrate the first electrocauterization performed by the TrainBot to relieve a biliary obstruction and open a tunnel for fluid drainage and drug delivery. The developed technology sheds light on the collaborative strategy of small-scale robots for future minimally-invasive surgical procedures.
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