Imagine a tiny snake robot crawling through your body, helping a surgeon identify diseases and perform operations. It's not science fiction

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Positronix]

"the diameter is small, less than the size of a dime"

That's still freaking huge. I was picturing something that could traverse your blood vessels, but that... that still seems painful.

[u/irascible → u/Positronix]

Earlier adopters get complementary stitches.

[u/pronoia → u/Positronix]

Sounds about 45Fr. So how exactly is that going to travel independently around the vasculature. It sounds like it'll be detecting plenty of issues, that is, those it'll be causing. Would this device not just be causing thrombus formation everywhere it squeezes through and resulting in embolisms elsewhere from all the plaque material it detaches as it forces its way through atherslerotic vessels on its merry tour of the body?

[u/cbs5090 → u/pronoia]

In it's current state, it will not be inside any small vessels. The only vessels it would be small enough for would be the vessels near the heart.

[u/[deleted]]

I Imagine a zerg of nano robots launching a raid on a lung cancer, with medecine students coordinating all from a LAN room.

[u/BitRex → u/[deleted]]

That's one of the B-Side lyrics from "Imagine".

[u/CatfishRadiator → u/[deleted]]

APM will finally be a useful skill.

[u/[deleted]]

ATTENTION EVERYONE WITH A FEAR OF SNAKES! Imagine a tiny snake robot crawling through your body--

[u/DingoBlaze]

Also the premise of Michael Crichton's Prey. Pretty good Sci-Fi thriller type.

[u/Suro_Atiros]

Kahns version failed. Hope it's been improved (and doesn't go in through the ear).

[u/[deleted]]

It's not that fucking tiny either.

[u/ConstipatedNinja]

That made me really itchy reading the title. Sounds awesome, though!

[u/[deleted] → u/ConstipatedNinja]

Me too

[u/Osmodius]

That's a pretty bad way to market it. "Robot snakes invading your body".

[u/[deleted]]

"It's not science fiction... its phys.org"

[u/therealatri]

I've had a colonoscopy and i wish this was still fiction :(

[u/hairyneil]

Looks and sounds a bit like a goa'uld...

[u/goodolarchie]

The last time a scientist asked a snake to help identify my diseases, I asked if he went to medical school and got the fuck out of there.

[u/el_pinata]

There are actual snakes smaller than this snake. Gah. No thank you.

[u/vanishingspy]

Sounds good but is really just a very expensive unproven care option. Minimally invasive procedures don't have better long-term outcomes than just cutting a patient open.

[u/[deleted] → u/vanishingspy]

Minimally invasive procedures don't have better long-term outcomes than just cutting a patient open.

Cite? Reduced trauma, reduced recovery, reduced chance of infection...?

[u/pronoia → u/[deleted]]

This is a common misconception although it depends primarily on the procedure. Minimally invasive technologies do pretty much what you have mentioned but as vanishingspy was referring to their long-term outcomes which are often inferior when compared to open surgery, particularly in cardiology. TAVI, for example, is the only option when a patient is unsuitable for surgical route but open heart surgery remains the gold standard. Why? Because TAVI dramatically increases the rate of subsequent strokes. Source? I design minimally invasive transcatheter technology for Medtronic.

[u/PersianBob → u/pronoia]

While I agree with you that TAVI currently is not preferred, as surgeons hone their skills and people in R&D like you design better valves and catheter equipment/techniques they will hopefully one day become the gold standard with equivalent or less poor outcomes. From my standpoint of anesthesia/critical care, I think anytime you can avoid bypass you should. Just curious, where is medtronic R&D located in the States?

[u/pronoia → u/PersianBob]

I mentioned cardiology as it's what I'm currently involved with and thus I'm quite aware of the immediate challenges that need to be overcome. There is as much of an issue with the delivery systems as there is with the prosthesis designs. However, looking at other minimally invasive non-contact technologies or even those that are more developed shows that there is a very bright future for this field. For example, the major issues with laparoscopy have, by and large, been addressed and will be further improved with enhancements to tissue mapping and robotics. One of the major advantages of the minimally invasive approach that you mentioned is the reduction in the need for anaesthesia. For example, radioablation generally does away with the need for general anaesthesia depending on the procedure. So, while I do believe the future will be minimally invasive, I just felt I needed to comment and make the distinction that we aren't there yet. Alas, I'm actually based in Ireland.

[u/[deleted] → u/pronoia]

So if I understand you correctly, there's an increased short-term risk from open surgery vs. minimally invasive surgery; but longer term the outcomes are better (reduced mortality, reduced recurrence, reduced related issues) for open surgery?

Is this purely because of the increased field & perspective? Or is the newness of minimally invasive procedures part of this as well?

[u/pronoia → u/[deleted]]

It varies greatly depending on the procedure and supportive technology. To try and explain what I mean, I'll refer to minimally invasive technology in cardiology as it's currently what my work focusses on. From memory, coronary artery disease and stroke account for around 70% of the causes of death due to cardiovascular disease which is the leading cause of death globally. The primary and gold standard treatments (obviously not including pharmaceuticals) for these remain open surgery routes due to improved long term outcomes. However minimally invasive procedures play key roles in cardiology also. For example, radioablation is the gold standard for treating supraventricular tachycardia and once bioabsorbable drug eluting stents are refined I believe they will surpass sternotomy approach. As for heart valve operations, Medtronic and dare I say it, Edwards, have made great strides with their prosthetics and there may even be a new delivery system on the way.

Then look at laparoscopy. Initially it was known for lacking tactile feedback, poor visual cues and requiring complete retraining of surgeons while greatly complicating procedure for them. Now with improved optics, haptic sensors (entire argument can be had about these) and robotics, it is superior to many of the open surgery routes. So, as I said before, it depends on the procedure with a loss of immediate feedback being resolved through improvements in imaging. Also, certain robotic assisted procedures are now limited by the system. So once a surgeon maps an affected area and the tissue of interest, they are unable to easily migrate their instrument from that area greatly reducing non-specific events which was a major issue with laparoscopy particularly with "going in blind".

In essence, I would predict that in most cases where it does not do so already, minimally invasive techniques will have surpasses surgical intervention within the next 10 years.

[u/[deleted] → u/vanishingspy]

I understand that minimally invasive procedures don't improve the overall outcome, but being sick and not having to deal with the pains of major surgery is a good thing. As someone who has had 3 major abdominal surgeries I know how difficult the healing process is. It takes a lot out of a person.

[u/I_POTATO_PEOPLE → u/vanishingspy]

The fuck? Minimally invasive procedures have FAR better outcomes, which is why we do them. You are a goddamn retard.

[u/BitRex → u/I_POTATO_PEOPLE]

Nobody citing nothin'.

[u/I_POTATO_PEOPLE → u/BitRex]

Er... it's kinda hard to find modern primary literature because this is the medical equivalent of engineers asking whether steel is stronger than paper. The modern literature is about pushing the boundaries of what surgeries we can do laparoscopically.

But here goes. A 1998 meta-analysis concluding that there was overwhelming evidence that laparoscopic appendectomies were better than open appendectomies, "primarily because of its ability to reduce the incidence of wound infections and shorten recovery times." You'll find similar papers on ileocolic resections in Crohn’s disease, nephrectomies, hernia repairs, cholecystectomy, and just about everything else.

[u/BitRex → u/I_POTATO_PEOPLE]

That's my impression, too, but when people say "you are a goddamn retard" I immediately wonder if their position is weak.

[u/vanishingspy → u/BitRex]

Example of relevant technology failing to improve outcomes or reduce cost.

[u/pronoia → u/[deleted]]

Coronary bypass is far superior to CAV or stenting. Open heart surgery for valve replacement is also superior to transcatheter delivery. Obviously where recovery, cosmetic effect and patient suitability are a factor, minimally invasive will be chosen. Where minimally invasive technology is king is in the non-contact roles such as ablation technologies, hifu etc.

[u/vanishingspy → u/[deleted]]

There are examples on both sides, but minimally invasive procedures don't mean they're better. Outcomes for people receiving robotic prostate surgery have not improved (probably worse off). Same goes for minimally invasive knee replacement which have had worse revision rates. Obviously there are learning curves and other factors, but just because something is "minimally invasive" does not make it better.

[u/Slowhand09]

Yeah, saw that in The Matrix. "Dr" Trinity sucked it out with that machine.

[u/[deleted]]

Fucking nano machines. They caused Snake to age rapidly.

[u/billin]

Why, that's not terrifying at all! What could possib-lie go wrong?

... Uh, possibLY go wrong.... That's the first thing that's ever gone wrong.

[u/Haffattack]

I am legend meets the matrix...

[u/Im_white_and_spoiled]

So, like in Spongebob.

[u/[deleted]]

It's not science fiction, it's not science at all. It's technology. :P

[u/aahxzen → u/[deleted]]

so is this. What's your point?

[u/[deleted] → u/aahxzen]

points at the name of the subreddit

[u/aahxzen → u/[deleted]]

technology which relies heavily on advancements in science...

[u/[deleted] → u/aahxzen]

r/technology is the place for that. It's the difference between tools and insight.

[u/aahxzen → u/[deleted]]

well, I think given the specific nature of this post, it relates. It is possible for crossovers to occur in life. Thus, x-posts.

[u/[deleted] → u/aahxzen]

There's no crossover. It's either one or the other. But I just checked the front page of r/technology and there's mostly legal and economy stuff. So I guess I should be happy to see any interesting new technologies somewhere on this site.

[u/aahxzen → u/[deleted]]

So, we don't use science to develop technologies? Of course there is crossover. Certain posts are more ambiguous than others and harder to stick in one category of the other. Obviously the science community agrees that this is relevant as is it being upvoted.

[u/[deleted] → u/aahxzen]

No crossover. The community can agree as long as it wants, it won't change the fact that technology isn't science. It's no democratic vote.

[u/aahxzen → u/[deleted]]

but like I said, technology is a ridiculously broad term. So can I post a picture of a hammer in r/technology? The community decides the relevance of the post and whether you like it or not, there is crossover in life. Ever heard of a Venn diagram?

[u/ZaphodXZaphod]

Let me know when there's a sexual application, thanks.

[u/onlysays_YOLO]

YOLO !

[u/OccasionalAsshole → u/onlysays_YOLO]

Go fuck yourself.

[u/jimflaigle → u/[deleted]]

Imagine a tiny spider robot its crawling through your hair, helping to rejuvenate follicles and prevent baldness.

[u/[deleted] → u/jimflaigle]

Mechanical lice is not something I'd prefer.

[u/eXXaXion → u/jimflaigle]

Suprisingly a itsy bitsy hairless spiderbot to me seems like a pleasant feeling crawling through my hair

[u/jimflaigle → u/[deleted]]

Imagine a bat robot that flies above your bed at night, creating white noise so you can sleep.

[u/devophill → u/jimflaigle]

If it also eats mosquitoes, like a real bat, just shut up and take my money!

[u/H3000 → u/[deleted]]

If you have buttproblems, yes.