The MIT creates a thread-like robot to remove blood clots from brain vessels

Special magnets position a thread made of a special alloy inside the vessels.

The emergence of blood clots in brain blood vessels is a very dangerous symptom that may lead to thrombus formation and strokes. A thin wire is used today in order to mechanically clean blood vessels. It is a very complicated and painful procedure that involves introducing a thin, fluoroscope-controlled wire through a large artery. 

The team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has come up with an idea to remove clots with a thread-like robot. The device is based on a thin nickel-titanium thread coated with a magnetic hydro gel.

The robot is introduced into the patient's body through the femoral artery, and then two magnets steer it through the bloodstream into the brain. The hydro gel reduces the friction between the device and the vessel wall making the procedure less painful for the patient.

Following clinical trials, preventive procedures to remove clots from the vessels using micro-robots will probably become a common medical service. The technology will enable to avoid not only aneurysm and strokes, but also blood clots formation in different body parts.