This Article Full Text (PDF) Multimedia All Versions of this Article: 0278364908104855v1 28/9/1169    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Martel, S. Articles by Tabatabaei, N. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

MRI-based Medical Nanorobotic Platform for the Control of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Flagellated Bacteria for Target Interventions in Human Capillaries

NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal (EPM), Campus of the Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3A7, sylvain.martel{at}polymtl.ca

Ouajdi Felfoul

NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal (EPM), Campus of the Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3A7

Jean-Baptiste Mathieu

NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal (EPM), Campus of the Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3A7

Arnaud Chanu

NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal (EPM), Campus of the Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3A7

Samer Tamaz

NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal (EPM), Campus of the Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3A7

Mahmood Mohammadi

NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal (EPM), Campus of the Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3A7

Martin Mankiewicz

NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal (EPM), Campus of the Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3A7

Nasr Tabatabaei

NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal (EPM), Campus of the Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3A7

Medical nanorobotics exploits nanometer-scale components and phenomena with robotics to provide new medical diagnostic and interventional tools. Here, the architecture and main specifications of a novel medical interventional platform based on nanorobotics and nanomedicine, and suited to target regions inaccessible to catheterization, are described. The robotic platform uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for feeding back information to a controller responsible for the real-time control and navigation along pre-planned paths in the blood vessels of untethered magnetic carriers, nanorobots, and/or magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) loaded with sensory or therapeutic agents acting like a wireless robotic arm, manipulator, or other extensions necessary to perform specific remote tasks. Unlike known magnetic targeting methods, the present platform allows us to reach locations deep in the human body while enhancing targeting efficacy using real-time navigational or trajectory control. We describe several versions of the platform upgraded through additional software and hardware modules allowing enhanced targeting efficacy and operations in very difficult locations such as tumoral lesions only accessible through complex microvasculature networks.

Key Words: nanorobots • bacteria • medical robotics • MRI • target chemotherapy • blood vessels

This version was published on September 1, 2009

The International Journal of Robotics Research, Vol. 28, No. 9, 1169-1182 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0278364908104855


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?