Wireless robotic device mimics esophagus, gut muscles, aids digestion

Researchers have created a device that replicates the muscle function of the esophagus and small intestine that let food and viscous fluids pass for digestion.

The device, developed by a team of Vanderbilt University researchers, can be activated wirelessly to carry out the function when required.  

According to researchers at the institution in Tennessee, this wearable, externally controlled soft-robotic prototype, powered by powerful magnets, can assist patients with tumor-related obstructions or those needing stents.

The details of the research were published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

Innovative peristalsis restorer

The movement of fluids and solids inside the human body is essential and is helped by a wave-like motion called peristalsis. However, tumors can interfere with peristalsis, making it hard for the body to move things through the lumen.

Treatment often involves using a silicone or metal esophageal stent to keep the esophagus open, allowing the swallowing of solids and liquids. However, food particles can accumulate around the stent, causing blockages and potentially leading to aspiration when food enters the airway.

According to researchers, this can result in respiratory complications such as pneumonia, especially in individuals with compromised respiratory function. Thus, restoring peristalsis is crucial for effectively transporting liquids and solids and addressing these medical challenges.

The team’s device, which restores its natural motion, “paves the way for next-generation robotic medical devices to improve the quality of life, especially for the aging population,” according to a statement by the team.

Soft robotic pumps that are magnetically actuated, capable of restoring peristalsis, and seamlessly integrating with medical stents have not been reported before.

Conventional esophageal stents are typically metal tubes used in older individuals with esophageal cancer. These individuals, according to researchers, are at risk of food becoming obstructed from reaching the stomach, which could lead to a potentially fatal scenario where food enters the lungs.

Versatile Soft Robotics

The team’s soft robot comprises a flexible sheet with tiny magnets arranged in parallel rows. When these magnets are activated, a precise undulating motion is produced, which generates the torque needed to pump different kinds of liquid and solid cargo.

According to researchers, the device uses a magnetized sheet programmed with specific profiles to create the fundamental undulating motion needed for peristalsis. Various designs have been tested to optimize the coordination of liquid and solid pumping.

The team demonstrated an example application in an esophageal stent that restores peristalsis, preventing blockages and aspiration. This wireless pump can seamlessly integrate with existing medical stents.

Researchers claim that the “proposed wirelessly actuated robotic pumping mechanism is generic and holds promise in enabling diverse implantable medical devices designed to address the challenges of lumen dysmotility in various diseases such as esophageal cancer.”

Further refinements of the device could help restore other biological processes compromised by disease. For example, it could help transport human eggs from the ovaries when muscular function in the fallopian tubes is impaired.

Additionally, with advanced manufacturing processes, the device could be made smaller to adapt to even narrower passageways, according to the researchers.