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Scientists have built a tiny gut explorer robot to detect and potentially treat a lethal common cancer, in the latest advance in the fast-evolving field of medical robotics.
The machine makes 3D scans of the colon that were previously impossible, using its mussel shell-like shape to roll through the digestive system when guided by a magnet outside the body. The innovation could boost detection of bowel cancer, which is treatable in its early stages but is the second-biggest cause of cancer deaths worldwide.
“This minimally invasive robotic approach could significantly improve early diagnosis and, in future, allow targeted ultrasound-triggered medicine delivery,” said Nikita Greenidge of Leeds university, lead author of a paper on the research published in Science Robotics on Wednesday.
Developers at Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh universities hope to launch human trials of the coin-sized robot next year, after successful testing on pigs.
The machine is 3D-printed from resin in a shape known as the oloid, which allows a wide range of movement and contact with surfaces.
This means it can navigate and image the large intestine to an extent that was previously unattainable, the researchers said. The machine, about the width of a UK penny, has been tested on surfaces simulating the structures of the colon, oesophagus and stomach.
The robot could enable virtual cancer screening that would eliminate delays, costs and complications associated with traditional biopsy methods based on extracting bodily tissue, the authors write.
Screening, diagnosis and therapy could be carried out “in a single procedure” rather than the existing multi-stage processes lasting weeks or more.
The new method could be particularly helpful for women, the researchers say. Female colons are on average longer than their male equivalents, meaning standard screenings involving the insertion of a tube can be harder to carry out and more painful.
The project is an example of how cutting-edge technology is enabling the development of “rapid, non-invasive solutions that have the potential to revolutionise cancer diagnosis and treatment”, said Jane Nicholson, executive director of research at the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, which part funded the work.
Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the world’s third most common cancer. It accounted for 1.9mn new cases and 900,000 deaths in 2022 in the 185 countries covered by the World Health Organization’s Global Cancer Observatory.
Colorectal cancer rates in people under 50 have risen in many high-income countries, including the US. Scientists are investigating possible links to diets high in so-called ultra-processed foods.
The new robot investigator would be an important innovation if fully proven in human trials, said Professor Naeem Soomro, council member and vice chair of the future of surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
“This is potentially groundbreaking,” he said. “But further studies are essential to validate their safety, clinical effectiveness and cost efficiency before they can be integrated into routine medical and surgical practices.”
Robots are increasingly used in medicine for tasks such as improving diagnostics and making surgery less invasive by enabling doctors to do smaller incisions in patients. Droids have been deployed in processes such as blood vessel X-rays and precision radiotherapy for some tumours.
