Bio-Inspired Untethered Robot-Sensor Platform for Minimally Invasive Biomedical Sensing

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Robotics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Conventional in vivo biomedical sensing methods (catheter/probe-based) are invasive, uncomfortable, and limited for long-term monitoring.
• Existing implantable sensors necessitate invasive procedures for placement, posing challenges for continuous health tracking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an untethered soft robot capable of minimally invasive sensor deployment and real-time wireless monitoring.
• To create a novel locomotion mechanism inspired by snake movement for enhanced sensor delivery within the body.

Main Methods:

• Designed a soft kirigami robot utilizing kirigami patterns for asymmetric tribological properties, mimicking snake skin locomotion.
• Integrated passive sensors with the robot for in vivo deployment and real-time data acquisition.
• Tested the robot's deployability, load capacity, locomotion speed, and environmental adaptability (obstacle crossing, multimodal movement).

Main Results:

• The kirigami robot demonstrated high load capacity (150x own weight) and effective locomotion (0.25 body length/step).
• The robot exhibited multimodal movement capabilities, including obstacle crossing, wet/dry locomotion, climbing, and inverted crawling.
• Proof-of-concept demonstrated real-time impedance monitoring for gastroesophageal reflux disease diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• The developed soft kirigami robot offers a promising solution for minimally invasive biomedical sensing and long-term in vivo monitoring.
• This platform enables precise sensor deployment and secure placement for continuous data collection.
• The robot's versatility and performance pave the way for advanced diagnostic tools in internal medicine.