CUHK develops micro-robots to treat digestive tract diseases

China News Service, Hong Kong, April 8th (Reporter Han Xingtong) TheChinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) held a press conference on the 8th and announced that the CUHK interdisciplinary research team has recently developed a "biosynthesis" equipped with an endoscopic assisted magnetic navigation system "Software micro-robots" can break through the limitations of existing instruments and penetrate into the narrow cavities of the human body to treat digestive tract diseases.

An interdisciplinary research team composed of the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering of CUHK and the Faculty of Medicine has recently developed a stem cell-based soft magnetic stem cell sphere micro-robot, referred to as MSCSMs, which is mainly composed of a large number (about 98%) of stem cells.

The soft micro-robots are as soft as the human brain tissue.

In addition, the software micro-robot can perform real-time in-vivo tracking through various clinical imaging technologies, including technologies that are widely used in intracavitary surgery such as endoscopy and ultrasound.

In order to allow the soft micro-robot to quickly enter the narrow space deep in the body, the team developed a robot integrated platform that combines clinical imaging tools-the dual-mode imaging endoscopic assisted magnetic drive system (EMADIS).

Former President of CUHK and Senior Vice President of Nanyang Technological University (Health and Life Sciences) Shen Zuyao said that the technology developed this time can extend the coverage of endoscopy to the smaller branches of the bile duct, pancreatic duct and bronchus, and even The smaller branches of the urinary system.