Geplaatst:23 apr 2007 07:53 - Gewijzigd: 23 apr 2007 07:53

Caterpillar robot ‘treats’ hearts

LONDON - A robotic caterpillar has been designed which can crawl across the surface of the heart to deliver treatment.

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New Scientist reports a prototype of the HeartLander device, created by US researchers, has been tested on pigs, according to the BBC. The tiny robot, just a few centimetres long, can move at up to 18 centimetres per minute, controlled by ”push and pull” wires from outside the body.

The British Heart Foundation said the ”caterpillar” could one day be useful, but much more research was needed.

The HeartLander has been designed by scientists at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA).

The study on pigs found it could fit pacemaker leads and inject dye into the animals’ hearts. It uses two sucker-like feet with which it can crawl across the heart. It is inserted below the ribcage by keyhole surgery and is attached to the heart via a vacuum line to the suckers. (RD)