|
| Home / News / Hardware |
 | Miniature robot to perform medical procedures
04 Apr 2007
|
TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese researchers have developed a prototype miniature robot that can be inserted through an incision and used to perform medical procedures deep inside the body.
The beetle-shaped robot, which weighs five grams and measures two centimetres (0.79 inches) in length and one in diameter, is the result of three years of work by researchers from Ritsumeikan University and its partners.
The tiny robot incorporates various medical devices including a small camera, sensors and a drug delivery injector, which could reduce the need for surgery.
Data is sent to a computer through a slim cable although researchers hope to develop a transmitter.
Previously miniature robots for inside the body have been designed to be swallowed and can only take pictures, although US researchers are also working on a small robot that enters though an incision to treat heart problems
|
| |
|
|
