MIT researchers have developed a biodegradable medical patch that could soon help robot surgeons mend internal injuries and could ultimately lead to wider use of robots in medicine.
Today, bioadhesive patches are already in use for surgeries that intend to seal internal damage, but the problem is that these seals can be flawed and even cause their own damage, such as scar tissue or inflammation.
Inspired by origami, the MIT researchers created a biodegradable medical patch that can be folded around a robot’s minimally invasive surgical tools to seal internal damage.
As reported by Engadget, the MIT design avoids the problems of current bioadhesive patches through a three-layer patch with a hydrogel-based adhesive, a silicone oil-coated material to prevent unintended sticking, and an elastomer outer layer whose zwitterionic nature (that is, a molecular chain with positive and negative ions) protects the patch against bacteria.
The result is a tape that easily wraps around robotic tools while adhering strongly to tissue, even after it has been immersed in fluid for long periods. A test patch avoided contamination even after a month, and a robot might only apply light pressure to apply the patch.
We realize that there’s a whole lot of scientific jargon in this story and that the world of robotic surgeons may be unfamiliar, but the creation of this origami-inspired patch does suggest that we may not be too far away from a medical world where the use of robot surgeons is a reality. The biodegradable patch also indicates that sealing internal injuries in the future could be a much safer, reliable process.
