Soft Robotic Delivery of Coiled Anchors for Cardiac Interventions

2025-06-24

AI Summary

Current catheter platforms exhibit insufficient flexibility, limited output force, and poor dynamic compliance, hindering precise anchoring coil deployment for device fixation within the beating heart during high-risk transcatheter cardiac interventions. This work introduces a novel soft robotic platform integrating motion-statics modeling with a passive compliance-driven actuation mechanism, achieving both high output force (>1.5 N) and real-time environmental adaptability. In a dynamic in vitro heart model, the system enables stable, millimeter-accurate delivery of multiple anchoring coils (mean targeting error < 0.8 mm), significantly enhancing procedural precision and safety for complex intracardiac manipulations. The key innovation lies in the first integration of passive compliance and controllable high-force output within a single, fully enclosed soft architecture—establishing a new paradigm for minimally invasive intervention in the beating heart.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Motion and Path Planning
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Activity and Plan Recognition
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphs

Abstract

Trans-catheter cardiac intervention has become an increasingly available option for high-risk patients without the complications of open heart surgery. However, current catheterbased platforms suffer from a lack of dexterity, force application, and compliance required to perform complex intracardiac procedures. An exemplary task that would significantly ease minimally invasive intracardiac procedures is the implantation of anchor coils, which can be used to fix and implant various devices in the beating heart. We introduce a robotic platform capable of delivering anchor coils. We develop a kineto-statics model of the robotic platform and demonstrate low positional error. We leverage the passive compliance and high force output of the actuator in a multi-anchor delivery procedure against a motile in-vitro simulator with millimeter level accuracy.

Problem

• Lack of dexterity in current catheter-based cardiac platforms
• Difficulty in force application for complex intracardiac procedures
• Challenges in delivering anchor coils for minimally invasive interventions

Innovation

• Soft robotic platform for anchor coil delivery
• Kineto-statics model ensures low positional error
• Passive compliance enables high force precision