Soft Medical Microrobots

微型机器人是一种尺寸小于毫米的设备，可以通过无线控制进入人体内部进行手术、活检和诊断。微型机器人有望成为开放手术、活检针和结肠镜检查等常规和紧急手术的非侵入性替代方案。我们的卫生系统每年进行数以百万计的侵入性手术，花费大量资金，由于长期恢复和并发症而失去生活质量，并且许多人群难以获得护理。对微型机器人的早期研究已经证明了软微型机器人的潜力，它可以安全地折叠成微型抓取器、药物载体和软取样胶囊。在磁场的驱动下，这些柔软的微型机器人可以在计算机控制下精确地进行3D运动。然而，迄今为止的演示一直处于概念验证阶段，软微型机器人目前缺乏所需的设计复杂性，使用医学成像进行跟踪的能力以及操纵样本和组织所需的强度。因此，尽管软体微型机器人在改善医疗保健方面具有潜力，但它们并没有走出实验室。

Microrobots are devices smaller than millimetres in size that be wirelessly controlled to go inside the body for surgery, biopsy and diagnosis. Microrobots promise a non-invasive alternative to open surgery, biopsy needles and colonoscopies for many routine and emergency procedures. Our health system performs millions of invasive procedures yearly with a large cost in money spent, quality of life lost due to long recoveries and complications, and difficult in accessing care for many populations. Early studies on microrobots have demonstrated the potential of soft microrobots which can safely fold into miniature grippers, drug carriers and soft sampling capsules. Driven by magnetic fields, these soft microrobots can precisely move in 3D under computer control. However, demonstrations to date have been at the proof of concept stage and soft microrobots currently lack the required sophistication of design, ability to be tracked using medical imaging and strength needed for manipulating samples and tissue. As a result, soft microrobots have not moved out from the laboratory despite their potential for improvements to healthcare. In this Discovery Grant we will advance this promising new field of soft wireless microrobots from proof of concept to proven technology through new knowledge of operation and advances in fabrication, design and control. Aim I will introduce a new method for creating soft magnetic microrobots which are optimally designed for medical applications and fabricated using a new custom 3D printing platform we will develop. Aim II will solve the second main hurdle in soft microrobots for medicine, that of tracking the microrobots using medical imaging. We will use ultrasound imaging with new machine learning-based microrobot tracking algorithms to reliably track microrobot position and status in the body, as tested in the lab. In Aim III, we will develop the leading magnetic actuation system to create large magnetic fields which can dexterously move microrobots in 3D and activate their on-board tools in a sophisticated and controlled manner. These three aims together will represent a major advance in the understanding and capabilities of soft microrobots. The impact of this advance will be felt by patients when these results lead to less invasive surgery and diagnosis. The knowledge and technology generated will be translated to improve the innovation of Canadian industry, which is building in the area of medical robotics. There is an excellent opportunity for Canadian companies to lead in this sector, if it is supported with innovative ideas and trained HQP. This research program will train HQP in medical robotics to lead these high-impact research efforts in Canadian industry and academia. Through high-impact research results and an inclusive and diverse research training environment focused on developing relevant in-demand skills, this Discovery Grant will lead to the implementation of soft microrobots in medicine.