Diabetes (and more) will be fought with minirobots and apps
The device developed at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa consists of a part, the size of a mobile phone, to be surgically implanted in the abdomen, and a magnetic capsule to swallow
This is not about the legend of magnetic chips that some 'strong power' secretly injects us to control us. Here we are talking about a magnetic mini robot, the size of an orange which, surgically implanted in the intestine, will provide for the administration of insulin.
Designed with a grant of approximately 1.3 million euros from the Tuscany Region, the Robo-Implant is intended for chronic patients who have to take drugs without interruption; diabetics, but also hypothyroid or people suffering from chronic pain will be able to regain autonomy.
IT BEGINS WITH DIABETICS
For diabetes in particular, a disease whose diagnosis has increased by 60% in the last twenty years, the implant could concretely improve the quality of life of millions of people. According to 2020 estimates, there are about 4 million diabetics in Italy; among them eight per cent of type 1, the autoimmune one.
HOW DOES IT WORK
The device developed at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, already tested on pigs, was announced last Wednesday. It consists of a part, the size of a mobile phone, to be surgically implanted in the abdomen and a magnetic capsule to be swallowed. It will be a Docking Station inside the human body, as explained by Arianna Menciassi, head of the team, which independently carries out the administration of insulin.
Adjacent to the small intestine, the device delivers, according to programming, insulin which enters the intestine through a small retractable needle. And when the tank announces that it is 'in reserve', the patient swallows the refueling capsule. Just like a pill, the capsule enters the digestive tract until it reaches the implant which, using magnetic fields, will attract it to itself, rotate it and hook it correctly. Once 'full' of insulin the tablet will be released and expelled. Everything is controlled wirelessly by a remote control or an app on the smartphone; the battery is also wirelessly charged from the outside.
According to Science Robotics, which published the data, the test on three diabetic pigs was successfully passed. Now, after further refinements, the first application on humans is awaited.
THE BIOROBOTICS INSTITUTE OF PISA
https://www.santannapisa.it/it/istituto/biorobotica/biorobotics-institute
THE ARTICLE ON IEEE SPECTRUM
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/diabete-robot-insulina-sant-anna-pisa/ on Mon, 23 Aug 2021 05:40:14 +0000.