Building Small Robots: Making One Cubic Inch Micro-Sumo Robots and Smaller

Step 5 Mr. Cube Two: Making a 1/3 Cubic Inch Robot

After making a one cubic inch robot that worked, I had to try something smaller. I am aiming for a robot around 1/3 cubic inch. At this point, Mr. Cube Two is about .56"x .58" x.72". It has a 08 Picaxe microcontroller that will allow it to move autonomously. Pic 10 shows the robot on a ruler. Pic 11 shows the other side of the robot on a quarter. The two batteries are cr1220 3volt lithium batteries and it remains to be seen if they will have enough capacity to power the Picaxe and the motors. More batteries may be needed.

It is a work in progress. So far the two pager motors work fine to move and turn the robot on smooth surfaces. The Picaxe microcontroller is installed and has been programmed and tested. Still to be added are the SOIC L293 motor controller and the infrared reflector sensor.

When finished, this will be one of the smallest autonomous robots around with sensors and a microcontroller. While this is a tiny robot, are there smaller amateur robots that are programmable? Yes indeed. See:

1cc Robot: http://diwww.epfl.ch/lami/mirobots/smoovy.html

Pico Robot: http://poor-robot.com/pico/

Comments

[wareneutron]

reject.robot

[Tim Temple]

Or you can glue on some razor blade chips and let it cut its own way in. A cheaper form of battery would be a couple of cells from a little 9V battery.

[rbhavanirao]

Dear Sir, You’re invention can be modified so that can be utilized in surgery I am Dr.R.Bhavani Rao from India. I’m a surgeon of nineteen years surgical experience. I have seen the small robot you have developed. With some modifications this can be very useful for looking inside the human body. With some more modifications the small robot or a swarm of robots can be utilized for performing minimal access surgery. For convenience of discussion I am put forwarding my ideas in two sections. 1. The first phase: Let the robot see the inside of stomach and intestines The robot you developed can be swallowed. If you have developed the 1/3 cubic inch robot the swallowing process will be more easier. If this robot is fitted with a camera we can see the interior of the oesophagus, stomach and intestines. The robot need not have the batteries attracted to it. The power supply can be from a cable. You can utilize the space that was previously occupied by the battery for fitting extra cameras. The data cable and the power cable can be attached to the robot. The data cable can transmit signals from camera to computer and another data cable can transmit programs from computer to the robot. The limiting factors While the robot is being swallowed it may damage the inside of the oesophagus and stomach. So it should be placed inside a small casket. This Casket should have an attached hallow cord by which the Casket can be opened and closed. The hallow cord will also harbour the power cord and data cord. The casket along with the cord (which is also transmitting power and data cables) is swallowed by the patient. Once the casket is inside the oesophagus it is opened. The data cable is attracted to a serial port of the computer. The power cable is attached to the power source. With the aid of computer the robot’s movement can be controlled. The Camera transmits images to the computer. A lot of Clinical information like cancer, ulcers, bleeding and tumours can be made out by just looking inside the oesophagus and stomach. The Inside of stomach and intestines is wet. So the circuits of the robot should be well as insulated. On successful completion of the first phase, the second phase of the project can be commenced. 2. The second phase: Minimal access surgeries can be performed. Minimal access surgeries can be performed by a team of robots. Each robot is modified in such a way for a specific purpose. A camera robot is already in place. Another robot has two arms with pliers. With each arm it can hold tissues. It should also hold suture material and needles. The arms can be programmed for making a knot. Another robot is fitted with a needle and connected to a diathermy that is regularly used in routine surgery for cutting tissues. This communication is only to give you a concept and a broad idea. your invention can be modified to perform surgeries. If you're interested please let me know so that we can exchange views for developing robots for performing surgeries. The detailed explanation for the second phase is below. ******************************************************************************* I am presenting a detailed view of my idea of using small robots for performing two commonly performed surgeries viz. Appendectomy and Cholecystectomy. No new technology need to be invented. The available technology can be modified and customized to perform these surgeries. With small financial investment, millions of people from all over the world can be relieved of their suffering. I got the idea of developing a robot for surgery after my 7 year old son playing with remote controlled toy. The toy is a Bulldozer. With remote control he can move the truck forward, backward and sideways. It has a container also. This container can also be moved up and down. If the size of this of toy reduced and fitted with a tiny camera and placed inside the abdominal cavity, then the inside of the abdominal cavity can be visualized. The image gives the doctor a lot of information about the type and extent of the disease process. Of course the container part has to be removed for fitting the camera. These images will let us know about the extent of a disease like cancer. (Camera robot) I know that tiny camera the size of a shirt button is already there. I will discuss how to place this robot into abdominal cavity later. Another small bulldozer with its container removed can be fitted with one grasper (forceps) and a pair of scissors. A grasper should hold a tissue of 0.5cm-1.0cm thickness. The purpose of this robot is to hold tissue, pull a tissue in desired directions. While the grasper pulls up to display a plane of tissue the scissors cuts the tissue. All these maneuvers are under direct vision of camera robot. The scissors can be attached to a diathermy cable so that cutting of tissue can be accomplished with minimum blood loss. (Dissection robot) Another small bulldozer with its container removed can be fitted with two graspers (forceps).This is for tying a blood vessel, cystic duct stump or Appendix stump. One grasper passes the suture material under a blood vessel or viscous, the other grasper pulls out the suture from other side .A knot is tied by crossing the ends of the suture and pulling one end of the suture through the loop thus completing the knot. Such repeated acts like making a knot can be made into a program. Instead of using knots to tie the cut ends, clips can also be applied. (Clips are routinely used in laparoscopy). (Knotting robot) A suction tube can be placed in desired position by Knotting robot. The suction tube is passed through the mouth. The suction tube is necessary to suck away spilled blood and secretions. A total of three mini robots are ideal for performing simple surgeries like Appendectomy and Cholecystectomy. Ideally each of these robots should be easy to swallow. The size of 2.5cm to 3.5cm X 2cm X 2cm. should be adequate. To avoid injury to inside of esophagus (gullet) while swallowing these robots can be placed inside a small casket. The Robots are placed inside the casket and the casket with a manipulating string attached is swallowed. One end of the string is attached to the casket and the other end is outside the mouth. The casket should be designed in such way that it can be opened or closed with a string attached to it. After the casket reaches the stomach it is opened with the device on the other end of the string. The Robot comes out of the casket. The casket is pulled out with the attached string. The process is repeated for other Robots also. Once the robot completes its job it will return into the casket. The casket can be closed and pulled out with the help of the string. Robotic cholecystectomy can be performed in the following way. The casket containing Camera robot is swallowed. Once in the stomach cavity the casket is opened with the help of attached string. The robot is either remote controlled or controlled with an attached power & Data cable. Remote signals can reach the stomach cavity with a small diameter cable. The robot is made to climb out of the casket with remote signals. The empty casket is closed and pulled out of esophagus and mouth. The camera sends out the visual signals so that the inside of the stomach is seen on monitor. Next the casket containing Dissection robot is swallowed followed by Knotting robot. Once all the robots are inside the stomach, the patient is sedated or anaesthetized. The abdominal cavity is insufflated with carbon dioxide up to a 12 mm of Hg pressure with a Veress needle. Usually it needs about 4.5lit-6 lit with a flow rate of 1lit- 2lit. This practice is followed in standard laparoscopy. The Dissection robot makes an incision on the anterior wall of the stomach. Through the opening in the anterior wall of the stomach the Dissection robot, Knotting robot and lastly the camera robots make their entry into the abdominal cavity. If the power and data cables are present (non remote operated) the cable from dissection robot is detached by knotting robot and a new power and data cable is passed through the anterior abdominal wall. This cable is attached to the dissection robot by knotting robot. Same procedure can be followed for the other robots. The camera robot gives signal to the computer to see inside of the abdominal cavity on a monitor. The dissection robot dissects the cystic duct. The knotting robot places two knots on the cystic duct. The dissection robot cuts between the knots. Same procedure is repeated for cystic artery also. The gallbladder is dissected out from liver by the dissection robot. The knotting robot pulls out the gallbladder into the stomach. Other robots also follow the same path. The gallbladder is placed in the casket. The casket is closed and pulled out. The opening in the stomach is closed by knotting robot. Each robot is placed into the casket and pulled out of the mouth. In essence you have to develop 3 small robots. If the data cable is attachable to a computer, then the surgeon can be away from the patient. Surgeon in Vizag can perform a surgery on a patient in USA. If it is possible to develop a remote controlled robot, then blue tooth technology may be the better choice. Because the blue tooth technology is computer compatible. I am really happy to sustain your interest so far. I am available on 98481 90952. If necessary I will be available for chatting on the net. Kindly inform me two days in advance for chatting. I thank you very much for your encouragement, time and attention.

[rbhavanirao]

The piilcom in the link is a passive object.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9075-1.html?tag=mncol;txt

It provides recorded random pictures. Though it is useful it has limitations. Also it is expensive.
Our innovation gives us realtime pictures and can be controlled to look into an area of interest for a chosen period of time.

The link to a tethered pill (fiber optic) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124161613.htm
Excerpts from the link and the discussion are

the fiber spins and its tip projects red, green and blue laser light.

We need a static camera which sends us real time images for better clinical work.

the fiber swings 5,000 times per second, creating 15 color pictures per second
Although conventional endoscopes produce images at higher resolution

Does not send realtime images and resolution is a problem

Excerpts from the link http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/06/05/Controlled_pill_camera_is_created/UPI-60051212691495/

In future, doctors will be able to stop the camera in the esophagus, move it up and down and turn it, and thus adjust the angle of the camera as required,"

says Fraunhofer team leader Frank Volke. "We have developed a magnetic device roughly the size of a bar of chocolate," he said.

The innovation I suggested will accomplish all this and much more possibly at a lower cost.

Bloody tissues and wet intestines are not extremely slippery places. Robots can definitely roll on them.
For the fear of explaining too much on one go, I did not discuss enough.
Please read this again from my second section. The Dissection robot makes an incision on the anterior wall of the stomach. Through the opening in the

anterior wall of the stomach the Dissection robot, Knotting robot and lastly the camera robots make their entry into the abdominal cavity.
Once the robotic swarm enters the abdominal cavity through stomach wall, they can be communicated and manoeuvred with small cables passed directly through

abdominal wall as in standard laparoscopy.Its sufficient for the robots to guide the tips of the instruments into proper place.Mehanical energy can be

transmitted through cables passed directly through abdominal wall as in standard laparoscopy.
Diathermy is an instrument that is used routinely in present day surgery.It cuts the tissues and stops the bleeding from small blood vessels.It does this by

mere touching with its needle tip.

If we develop an idea we can convince somebody to fund it.

[mikey77]

Thank you for your very interesting and thoughtful ideas.

Perhaps you already know this, but Phase 1 of your idea has been done by medical robotic researchers. Here is a link to a camera pill that goes through the esophagus, stomach and intestines, transmitting images as it goes.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9075-1.html?tag=mncol;txt

Here is a link to a tethered pill (fiber optic) that can be held in place in the esophagus and stomach to send images.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124161613.htm

Here is a link to a camera pill that is untethered but can be controlled by electromagnets to rotate it and point it in the right direction.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/06/05/Controlled_pill_camera_is_created/UPI-60051212691495/

That said, the next phases of your idea will be the hardest to do. As you know, bloody tissues and wet intestines are extremely slippery places. Getting any kind of mechanical system that would get enough traction to maneuver without damaging the surrounding tissues will be extremely difficult.

To get the power needed to maneuver and grasp slippery tissues and cut them cleanly would be almost impossible with batteries. So a tethered power line would most likely be necessary to get enough power in such a small place.

The question is, how deep can you go with a thin tethered line before it starts cutting into surrounding tissues? At some point, the whole thing has to be pulled out the way it went in or cut loose and allowed to pass through the system. Would the tether wires go through smoothly or cause damage on the way out?

Obviously, I am an amateur robotics experimenter and do not have the resources to create the kinds of robots you are considering. But, I have no doubt that such robots will eventually be built and used successfully.

Wishing you the best in your medical work.

Mikey77