Low cost new technology can track flexible surgical robots through magnetism

Flexible robotic surgical equipment has a very broad application prospect, and one of its advantages is the ability to move fragile parts of the body without causing damage. Due to the fact that these devices are usually made of soft materials, they may not always display well when using traditional imaging techniques.

In search of better alternatives, the scientific team at the University of California, San Diego has created a new system. In this system, a flexible robot device is equipped with a magnet at the front end. When the robot moves in a closed environment (eventually entering the human body), four spaced external sensors measure the magnetic field strength generated by the magnet.

Through an artificial neural network, the system will compare the readings of four sensors and use this data to accurately determine the position of the robot's front end. This is similar to the way GPS uses multiple satellites to calculate the user's location.

So far, the system has been successfully tested in a laboratory based model using a nylon tube type robot device, which becomes longer as the liquid is pumped into it. According to reports, the entire device, including robots, magnets, sensors, and other electronic devices, only costs around $100.

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