This is not a science fiction script. Scientists and doctors use crawling metal tools to perform surgeries on the heart, prostate and other organs.
The "feed robots" are equipped with a camera, scissors and a scalpel, but also with "tendons" that allow them to be controlled by the surgeon.
In the future, they could be equipped with sensors that measure biochemical parameters or monitor nerve function.
Experts estimate that it will not be long before the robot snakes circulate autonomously in the human body for medical purposes.
According to Michael Argenziano, head of the cardiology clinic at Presbyterian Hospital in New York and Columbia University Medical Center, the water robots act as small arms in the patients, as if the surgeon were assisting the surgeon.
The "water robots" are being developed by Dr. Howie Chozet at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. They are flexible and about the diameter of a coin.
Dr. Chozet develops snake robots for search and rescue operations, similar to the Fukushima Robotics Lab robot designed for research activities.
Source: econews.gr