Tiny 3D-Printed Robot Can Take Biopsies Inside MRI Scanner

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women. Carrying out a biopsy during a breast cancer scan in an MRI significantly increases accuracy, but it is not possible to make full use of this accuracy as long as biopsy needles are controlled by hand. Researchers from the University of Twente have developed what they say is the world's smallest biopsy robot. Called 'Stormram 4,' the robot is made from 3D-printed plastic and driven by air pressure. The main advantage of plastic is that the robot can be used inside an MRI scanner, enabling faster and more accurate diagnoses.

Transcript

00:00:00 Biopsy is to sample tissue from lesion for histological examination. Some lesions are only visible on MRI. These are difficult to biopt accurately. We need something better. A novel robotic system has been developed to perform these difficult biopsies. Stormram 4, a fully MRI compatible robot. It is driven by high-precision linear and curved pneumatic stepper motors. The robot is printed with a high- resolution (Polyjet) 3D printer. And the robot can be operated in several ways.

00:01:12 In an MRI scanner, the robot needs 6m long tubes, because the valve manifolds are not MRI-compatible. In this environment, the robot can be operated at approximately ten steps per second. Preliminary measurements have shown that sub-millimeter precision is achieved. The robot can be equipped with an MRI-compatible biopsy gun. The gun is pneumatically operated. The result is a tissue sample from the target. Stormram 4: A proof-of-concept with potential for market development.