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CASE 07 / Medical

Magnetic thread through a vascular model

A magnetic field steers a slender thread, with a hydrogel coating to reduce friction.

MIT · Robo-thread2019
A magnetic thread inside a silicone vessel model, not an image from a patient.
A magnetic thread inside a silicone vessel model, not an image from a patient.Image courtesy of the researchers / MIT News · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Watch the video

Official research demonstration · silicone vessel model · Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) · 4K source video

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01 / STUDY

Mechanism and experiments

Tests use a life-size silicone vascular model made from patient CT data and a liquid simulating blood viscosity.

02 / CONTEXT

Test conditions and scope

The tests used silicone cerebral-vessel models, without patient treatment.

03 / SOURCE

Papers and primary sources

Robotic thread is designed to slip through the brain’s blood vessels
MIT News · research by Yoonho Kim and collaborators
MIT · 2019 research report