Shuttle for medical device placement with minimal tissue damage.

Medical device implantation often results in tissue damage due to placement difficulties. Such damage adds risk to implantation procedures and may limit the depth to which devices can be placed, leading to suboptimal device performance.

The proposed invention is a small, soft, flexible shuttle with two embedded dipole magnets. This structure is attached to the device or lead to be implanted and placed in the body, enabling the physician to steer the shuttle through the body by using another magnet placed on the skin. The shuttle is propelled forward in a wavelike motion by the external magnet until it reaches the desired location, with minimal tissue damage.

Proof of Concept

• Mesoscale size enables device implantation deeper in the body than currently possible.
• Soft and flexible, reducing the risk of damaging tissues during implantation procedures.
• External magnetic control of the shuttle provides the physician with a better visualization and facilitates placement.

Pham, L. N., & Abbott, J. J. (2018). A Soft Robot to Navigate the Lumens of the Body Using Undulatory Locomotion Generated by a Rotating Magnetic Dipole Field. 2018 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). doi: 10.1109/iros.2018.8594247

Publication Number: US-2020-0100658-A1
Patent Title: A Soft Robot to Navigate the Natural Lumens of a Living Organism Using Undulatory Locomotion Generated by a Rotating Magnetic Dipole Field
Jurisdiction/Country: United States
Application Type: Non-Provisional

Huy Tran
(801) 581-7792
huy.tran@utah.edu