Micro-Targeting Robot MicroBot Completes First Brain Tumor Biopsy: 2mm Magnetic Capsule Navigates Cerebral Vasculature
Festo's magnetically controlled micro-robot MicroBot completes first brain tumor biopsy at University Hospital Zurich, navigating through blood vessels to the tumor site and collecting tissue samples.
Micro-Targeting Robot MicroBot Completes First Brain Tumor Biopsy: 2mm Magnetic Capsule Navigates Cerebral Vasculature
German automation company Festo today announced that its magnetically controlled micro-robot MicroBot completed the first minimally invasive brain tumor biopsy at University Hospital Zurich. The 2-millimeter-diameter capsule robot entered the vascular system through the femoral artery, navigated through cerebral vasculature under external magnetic field guidance, and reached a tumor in the right temporal lobe, where a micro-needle collected a 0.3 mm³ tissue sample.
The entire procedure took 2 hours and 15 minutes. The patient was ambulatory 6 hours post-surgery with no complications. Traditional brain tumor biopsy requires craniotomy with a typical 2–4 week recovery period.
Festo Bionics lead Elias Knubben stated: "MicroBot is the ultimate form of intravascular robot—it navigates through channels smaller than red blood cells to reach locations inaccessible to traditional surgical instruments."
MicroBot is driven by an external computer-controlled 3D magnetic field system with 0.1mm positioning precision. The robot's tip carries a miniature camera and near-infrared spectrometer for real-time tissue boundary identification.
The technology is currently in clinical trials. Festo plans to initiate a 50-patient multicenter brain tumor trial in 2029.
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