Scientists are now reporting a leech-like robotic caterpillar that can repair damaged hearts. It can crawl across the surface of the heart to offer the treatment. Developed by US scientists, a prototype of the HeartLander device has been successfully tested on pigs. When it gets inside to the body, it can inject drugs, attach pacemaker, or even destroy damaged tissues.
The miniature robot, which is a few centimeters long, is able to reach speed of 18 centimeters per minute and the movement is controlled by “push and pull” wires from outside the body while its progress is viewed on a TV screen.
The HeartLander is an upshot of the brainchild of scientists at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation said:
Whilst this is interesting, it remains to be seen whether it can deliver useful treatments for heart patients.
The invention asks for further research and it might fend off the need for open-heart surgery in the near future.
Via: BBC
