Micro-robot coupled to catheter
Provided is a micro-robot which is integratedly or detachably coupled to one end of a catheter or a guidewire for performing a medical operation using the catheter. Steering and drilling are independently performed by using a catheter thinner in thickness than a related art catheter. The a micro-robot is smoothly inserted into a lesion part and removes a risk of injury and infection in an opening operation through precise steering.
1. A micro-robot coupled to a catheter or a guidewire, the micro-robot comprising:
a base part detachably attached to the catheter or the guidewire, the base part including a center shaft;
a drill part rotatably coupled to the center shaft to generate a first magnetic torque based on an external rotating magnetic field to perform a drilling function; and
a head part coupled to a distal end of the center shaft to generate a second magnetic torque based on an external steering magnetic field to perform a steering function, the head part having a diameter relatively larger than the distal end of the center shaft.
2. The micro-robot of claim 1 , wherein
the base part is detachably attached to a projection provided in an end portion of the catheter or the guidewire, and
a first magnetic material is coupled to the drill part or coated on an outer portion of the drill part, and a second magnetic material is included in the head part or coated on an outer portion of the head part.
3. The micro-robot of claim 2 , wherein the base part is formed of one soft material selected from a group consisting of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or flexible materials available for medical treatment.
4. The micro-robot of claim 3 , wherein
the base part comprises:
a coupling hole provided in a bottom of the base part to be detachably attached to the projection provided in the end portion of the catheter or the guidewire through forced-fitting; and
an outer wall portion, the outer wall portion being shorter in length than the center shaft,
the center shaft is provided in a direction vertical to a center of a floor opposite to the bottom, and
the outer wall portion is provided in a direction vertical to a border of the floor.
5. The micro-robot of claim 4 , wherein the center shaft comprises:
a basis axis portion integratedly coupled to the center of the floor, the basis axis portion having a diameter smaller than an internal diameter of the outer wall portion and having a length relatively longer than a length of the outer wall portion; and
a coupling axis portion integratedly protruding from a top center of the basis axis portion, the coupling axis portion having a diameter relatively smaller than the diameter of the basis axis portion.
6. The micro-robot of claim 5 , wherein
the head part is formed of the same material as a material of the base part to surround a surface of the second magnetic material, and
the drill part is rotatably assembled to the center shaft, and the head part is integratedly bonded and coupled to a distal end of the coupling axis portion.
7. The micro-robot of claim 5 , wherein
the drill part comprises:
a tube-shaped body having a wall thickness which enables the tube-shaped body to be rotatably inserted between an inner circumference surface of the outer wall portion and an outer circumference surface of the basis axis portion;
a body end portion integratedly provided in a distal end of the tube-shaped body, the body end portion including a stepped hole smaller than the diameter of the basis axis portion and a slope outer circumference surface that is rotatably assembled to the coupling axis portion through the stepped hole and has a conical shape similar to a shape of a drill bit; and
a spiral groove portion provided in an outer circumference surface of the tube-shaped body and in a slope surface of the body end portion,
the drill part is placed in blood or fluid in a blood vessel of a patient to rotate by the first magnetic torque based on the external rotating magnetic field, and
the spiral groove portion changes an amount of exercise of the fluid to generate a thrust for the drilling function of the drill part.
8. The micro-robot of claim 6 , wherein the drill part is formed of a hard material or the same soft material as the material of the base part.
9. The micro-robot of claim 7 , wherein a circumference surface of the drill part corresponds to an inner circumference surface of the tube-shaped body or an inner circumference surface of the stepped hole of the body end portion.
10. The micro-robot of claim 9 , wherein when a portion of the drill part is disposed in a space which is provided inward from the outer wall portion, the coupling axis portion of the center shaft is bent by the second magnetic torque based on the second magnetic material and the external steering magnetic field to perform the steering function of changing a positon and a direction of the head part.
11. The micro-robot of claim 10 , wherein
the drill part is rotated or reversely rotated by the external rotating magnetic field and the first and second magnetic torques based on the first and second magnetic materials, in association with the coupling axis portion to generate a thrust or a reverse thrust,
as the drill part is move based on the thrust or the reverse thrust, rotating of the coupling axis portion is limited by the drill part, and
the drill part is rotated to separate or remove a foreign material from a wall surface of the blood vessel of the patient.
12. The micro-robot of claim 11 , wherein the drilling function and the steering function are independently performed so that when one of the drilling function and the steering function is being performed, other one function is not performed.