Wireless miniature medical soft robots inside our body

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Christoph Keplinger, since 3/2024
• Subject Area: Automation, Mechatronics, Control Systems, Intelligent Technical Systems, Robotics ; Microsystems
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 497562474

The research objective of this proposal is to develop three wireless medical soft robot designs that are promising to locomote and function inside fluid-filled confined in vivo environments adaptively, robustly and safely. We will achieve this objective in following four steps:Step 1. We will investigate how the locomotion performance of the sheet-shaped soft robot design is influenced by the non-Newtonian properties of the biofluids and surface friction on biological tissues. Surface modification techniques will be used to modify the robot friction with the surrounding boundaries for a better locomotion in realistic environments. Biocompatible magnetic materials will finally be used to build the robot to make it more applicable in in vivo biological environments.Step 2. We will investigate how the different geometries of the confined space influence the locomotion capability of the tubular robot design. Different functional elements will be integrated to the robot for different medical tasks in a blood vessel. Possibilities will be explored to fabricate the tubular robot with biocompatible materials.Step 3. We will investigate the possibility to achieve multimodal locomotion of the balloon-shaped soft robot design. The mechanism behind its deformation and locomotion will be investigated and several performance-enhancement strategies will be proposed accordingly. Different functions, such as occlusion and opening a stent, will be explored in a tubular environment phantom. Step 4. We will characterize the locomotion performance of the three robot designs described above in phantom and ex vivo test conditions close to the realistic biological environments. A tracking and control strategy will be developed to navigate the robot towards medical applications. The pros and cons of each robot design will finally be compared in detail.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2100: Soft Material Robotic Systems
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Metin Sitti, until 2/2024