Miniature multi-channel continuum robot and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a miniature multi-channel continuum robot and a preparation method thereof, the robot comprises a flexible line type multi-channel main body (11), a magnetic response end (12) is arranged at the head end of the multi-channel main body, and when the robot moves in an external pipeline, the magnetic response end is attracted by external magnetic force to select the advancing direction of the head of the robot at the branch of the pipeline; multiple channels of the multi-channel main body are arranged in parallel, the side walls of the channels are connected, the channels are used for inserting two pins of an electrode interface (13), the channels are provided with temperature sensing probes (16), the channels are internally provided with liquid metal (15), and outlets of the channels internally provided with the liquid metal are packaged and sealed by the electrode interface; according to the invention, the problems of insufficient in-vivo environment detection capability and single function of the continuum robot can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of flexible robots, in particular to a micro multi-channel continuum robot and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The human vascular system is a complex network consisting of arteries, veins, and capillaries. The entire vascular system constitutes a continuous circulatory system. At the same time, the vascular system also plays an important role in regulating body temperature and maintaining blood pressure. Some common vascular diseases, such as vasculitis, thrombosis, aneurysm, etc., will cause great harm to the human body once they occur. In recent years, the rapid development of continuum soft robots has provided a safe and intelligent technical solution for in vivo treatment, and has broad prospects in minimally invasive medical surgery, especially in the treatment of vascular lesions.

[0003] Although magnetic continuum robots have developed rapidly in minimally invasive medical treatment, existing continuum robots still face a series of key challenges. First, pathological detection and treatment of vascular disease areas is still a huge challenge. Blood vessels have a complex structural network and a narrow environment, which makes diagnosis and treatment inside blood vessels extremely difficult, and there are few reports of continuous robots with relevant capabilities. For example, the onset of vasculitis often leads to abnormal temperature of local blood vessels, and existing continuum robots cannot accurately detect the lesion area based on this feature. Secondly, the functionality of existing continuum robots is mostly relatively single, and a task process can only achieve a single function, which reduces the robot's work efficiency. When dealing with complex problems, the task processing cycle is extended, and multiple task processes increase the probability of human injury. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a micro multi-channel continuum robot and a preparation method thereof, which can solve the problems of insufficient in vivo environment detection capability and single function of the continuum robot.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solutions.

[0006] A miniature multi-channel continuum robot, the robot comprising a soft-wire multi-channel body (11), a magnetic response end (12) being provided at the head end of the multi-channel body, and when the robot moves in an external pipe, the magnetic response end is attracted by an external magnetic force to select the direction of travel of the robot head at the pipe bifurcation; the multi-channel body has multiple channels arranged in parallel and connected to each other on the side walls, including a channel for inserting two pins of an electrode interface (13), a channel on which a temperature sensing probe (16) is installed, and a channel with liquid metal (15) built in, wherein the outlet of the channel with liquid metal built in is sealed with an electrode interface.

[0007] The magnetic response end is formed by curing a mixture of Ecoflex-0030 silicone elastomer and neodymium iron boron magnetic particles. Specifically, the material is first wrapped around the head end of the multi-channel body by a dip coating method, and then cured to form a magnetic soft skin on the robot's head, and then magnetized by an external magnetic field.

[0008] The multi-channel body is formed by melt stretching of thermoplastic material, the tail end of the multi-channel body is the robot input port, the head end of the multi-channel body is the robot output port, and the diameter of the robot input port is larger than that of the robot output port.

[0009] The liquid metal is poured into the channel by gas pressure, and the liquid metal in the channel is in a flowing state.

[0010] The temperature sensing probe is pressed into a channel for installing the temperature sensing probe from an input port by air pressure, the temperature sensing probe is connected to a wire (140), a section of the wire is embedded in the temperature sensing probe, and the rest of the wire is adhered to the surface of the multi-channel body through PDMS.

[0011] The temperature sensing probe is formed by a composite of multilayer graphene material and PDMS material. The temperature sensing probe detects temperature changes through resistance changes, and its sensitivity is not less than 0.5°C; the wire is a silver wire, one end of which is embedded in the temperature sensing probe and the other end is connected to the digital source meter, and its diameter is 50μm.

[0012] The multi-channel body is a three-channel structure, and the functions carried by the three channels do not interfere with each other.

[0013] The electrode interface includes a U-shaped tungsten wire structure with a diameter of 30μm~80μm. The two pins of the electrode interface are respectively inserted into two channels. The pin spacing of the electrode interface is greater than 500μm. The two pins apply friction force to fix the electrode interface by squeezing the channel wall where the pins are located.

[0014] A method for preparing a micro multi-channel continuum robot, the method comprising the following steps: Step S1, heating three PU tubes with the same diameter and length to a molten state respectively; Step S2, extruding the three molten PU tubes against each other to fuse them into a three-channel PU tube; Step S3, heating the three-channel PU tube to a molten state, and stretching it into a multi-channel body under the action of an external force; Step S4, filling the liquid metal into a channel by air pressure, and encapsulating the channel outlet with an electrode interface; Step S5, uniformly mixing the multilayer graphene material and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a temperature-sensitive composite material, and filling the mixture into a channel by air pressure; Step S6, embedding the metal wire into the temperature sensing material and curing it in a high temperature environment to form a temperature sensing probe; Step S7, uniformly mix Ecoflex-0030 and NdFeB magnetic particles, and apply them to the end of the multi-channel robot; Step S8, heating in a high temperature environment to form a magnetic response end; Step S9, magnetizing the magnetic response to obtain a micro multi-channel continuum soft robot.

[0015] Furthermore, the diameter of the PU tube is 6×4 mm and the length is 5 cm.

[0016] Furthermore, the three-channel PU tubes are arranged in a triangular shape.

[0017] Furthermore, the liquid metal is EGaIn (gallium-indium alloy), and its melting point is 16°C.

[0018] Furthermore, the temperature-sensitive composite material is a black viscous fluid.

[0019] Furthermore, the temperature sensing probe is a columnar structure with a length of 1 cm and a diameter of 100 μm to 300 μm.

[0020] Furthermore, the air pressure is generated by an air pressure pump and its magnitude is 1 MPa.

[0021] Furthermore, the high temperature curing temperature is 60°C to 100°C.

[0022] Furthermore, the magnetic response end can be magnetized by an external magnetic field with a magnetic field strength of 1 T, and the magnetization direction can be changed according to needs.

[0023] Furthermore, the diameter and length of the micro multi-channel continuum soft robot are controllable.

[0024] When the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is a flexible robot that needs to enter a human blood vessel to operate, the prepared micro-multi-channel continuum soft robot is tested in a test environment including a simulated blood vessel and a simulated lesion, and the simulated blood vessel is used to simulate an external pipeline to test the movement process of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot in the simulated blood vessel environment and the simulated diagnosis and treatment of the simulated lesion; The test environment includes a micro multi-channel continuum robot (1), a permanent magnet array (2), a simulated blood vessel (3), a peristaltic pump (4), a propulsion device (5), a DC power supply (6), a computer (7), a digital source meter (8), a digital thermocouple (9), a syringe (10), and a stepper motor (140); The permanent magnet array comprises two array molds (22) and six permanent magnets (21); the array mold is circular and has six semicircular grooves, with the angle between each groove being 60°; the permanent magnets (21) are embedded in the semicircular grooves of the array mold according to a preset arrangement, and the two array molds are fixed by four auricle structures on the periphery; The permanent magnet array is installed on the shaft of the stepper motor and rotates under the drive of the stepper motor; the array magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet array is approximately a uniform magnetic field at the center, such as Figure 8 As shown; The simulated blood vessel is made of a transparent acrylic material and has a rectangular parallelepiped structure. It is composed of two parts: an upper part (31) of the simulated blood vessel and a lower part (32) of the simulated blood vessel. The simulated blood vessel has a curved vascular venous structure at the bifurcation area of ​​the vessel. The specific use process of the test environment includes the following steps: Step A1, a peristaltic pump is connected to a simulated blood vessel through a water pipe to provide circulating bionic blood; the bionic blood is composed of triglyceride and water in a predetermined ratio to simulate the viscous flow of blood; Step A2, the micro-multi-channel continuum robot enters the simulated blood vessel through a syringe, the tail end of the robot is connected to the pushing device, and the robot moves along the simulated blood vessel under the pushing action of the pushing device and the flow field generated by the peristaltic pump; during the moving process, the moving speed of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is controlled by the pushing speed of the pushing device; Step A3: When the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is observed to move to the bifurcation of the simulated blood vessel, the robot is stopped, and the permanent magnet array changes the direction of the external magnetic field by rotating along the normal direction, so that the head end of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot produces a corresponding deflection with the change of the direction of the external magnetic field, such as Fig. 9 As shown; after the head end of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is deflected to the angle corresponding to the simulated blood vessel bifurcation branch, the micro-multi-channel continuum robot can enter the corresponding simulated blood vessel branch; Step A4: When the head end of the micro multi-channel continuum robot moves to the position of the simulated lesion, the temperature sensing probe senses the abnormal change of the blood vessel temperature, transmits the resistance signal to the digital source meter through the metal wire, and observes the resistance change in the digital source meter; the computer is connected to the digital source meter, and the temperature of the simulated lesion is obtained by analyzing the change of the resistance signal; the digital thermocouple monitors the actual temperature of the simulated lesion in real time, and compares it with the transmission signal of the temperature sensing probe; Step A5: after the lesion area of ​​the simulated lesion is detected, the drug is delivered into an empty channel of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot through the drug delivery end with a large diameter at the input end of the robot, and the drug is slowly delivered into the simulated lesion by generating pressure through an air pump; Step A6: If the test process sets the site of the simulated lesion to be nerve tissue, the micro multi-channel continuum robot applies electrical stimulation to the diseased tissue through the electrode interface; specifically: the DC power supply transmits the electrical signal to the electrode interface through the liquid metal in the channel, and performs electrical stimulation on the simulated lesion through the contact between the electrode interface and the simulated lesion.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: The present invention provides a miniature multi-channel continuum robot and a preparation method thereof, wherein the miniature multi-channel continuum robot can achieve minimally invasive treatment under the joint drive of a magnetic field and a flow field. Specifically, the miniature multi-channel continuum robot has a plurality of independent functional channels, and different channels are designed with different functions, such as targeted drug delivery, neural electrodes, temperature sensing, etc. The different functional modules designed by the present invention are all integrated inside the multi-channel main body, which is more miniaturized. The miniature multi-channel continuum robot can move freely in a simulated blood vessel, and turn as needed when reaching the bifurcation of the blood vessel, and the deflection angle and direction of the magnetic response end are controlled by an external permanent magnet array; when moving to the simulated diseased site, the temperature sensing probe reflects the temperature abnormality through the change of the resistance value, diagnoses the site of the disease, and treats on demand through the neural electrode channel and the targeted drug delivery channel.

[0026] Compared with existing interventional continuum robots, the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention is smaller in size, more functionally integrated, can autonomously diagnose lesions, and complete multiple treatment goals at one time, with higher work efficiency.

[0027] The micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention does not require a built-in power source, and can achieve wireless control by relying on the blood flow in the blood vessels and the external magnetic field during use; and each functional component is integrated inside the channel, which greatly simplifies the robot structure and realizes the micron-level size of each functional component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments: Attached Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the working process of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention; Attached Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention; Attached Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the integrated structure of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention; Attached Figure 4 It is a microscopic and physical schematic diagram of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention; Attached Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the preparation process of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention; Attached Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the steering control device of the present invention; Attached Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of the permanent magnet array of the present invention; Attached Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the array magnetic field of the permanent magnet array of the present invention; Attached Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the turning of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention driven by a magnetic field; Attached Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the vascular structure of a simulated blood vessel of the present invention; In the figure: 1. Micro multi-channel continuum robot; 2. Permanent magnet array; 3. Simulated blood vessel; 4. Peristaltic pump; 5. Propulsion device; 6. DC power supply; 7. Computer; 8. Digital source meter; 9. Digital thermocouple; 10. Syringe; 11. Multi-channel body; 12. Magnetic response end; 13. Electrode interface; 14. Metal wire; 15. Liquid metal; 16. Temperature sensor; 21. Permanent magnet; 22. Array mold; 31. Simulated upper part of blood vessel; 32. Simulated lower part of blood vessel; 110. Electrothermal ceramics; 120. Three-channel PU tube; 130. Micro multi-channel tube; 140. Stepper motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The specific implementation modes of the present invention are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of examples. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0030] The technical embodiments adopted by the present invention are as follows: As shown in the figure, a miniature multi-channel continuum robot includes a soft-wire multi-channel body 11, a magnetic response end 12 is provided at the head end of the multi-channel body, and when the robot moves in an external pipe, the magnetic response end is attracted by an external magnetic force to select the direction of travel of the robot head at the bifurcation of the pipe; the multi-channel body has multiple channels arranged in parallel and the side walls are connected, including a channel for inserting two pins of an electrode interface 13, a channel with a temperature sensor 16 installed, and a channel with built-in liquid metal 15, and the outlet of the channel with built-in liquid metal is sealed with an electrode interface.

[0031] The magnetic response end is formed by curing a mixture of Ecoflex-0030 silicone elastomer and neodymium iron boron magnetic particles. Specifically, the material is first wrapped around the head end of the multi-channel body by a dip coating method, and then cured to form a magnetic soft skin on the robot's head, and then magnetized by an external magnetic field.

[0032] The multi-channel body is formed by melt stretching of thermoplastic material, the tail end of the multi-channel body is the robot input port, the head end of the multi-channel body is the robot output port, and the diameter of the robot input port is larger than that of the robot output port.

[0033] The liquid metal is poured into the channel by gas pressure, and the liquid metal in the channel is in a flowing state.

[0034] The temperature sensing probe is pressed into the channel for installing the temperature sensing probe from the input port by air pressure. The temperature sensing probe is connected to the wire 14. A section of the wire is embedded in the temperature sensing probe, and the rest of the wire is adhered to the surface of the multi-channel body through PDMS.

[0035] The temperature sensing probe is formed by a composite of multilayer graphene material and PDMS material. The temperature sensing probe detects temperature changes through resistance changes, and its sensitivity is not less than 0.5°C; the wire is a silver wire, one end of which is embedded in the temperature sensing probe and the other end is connected to the digital source meter, and its diameter is 50μm.

[0036] The multi-channel body is a three-channel structure, and the functions carried by the three channels do not interfere with each other.

[0037] The electrode interface includes a U-shaped tungsten wire structure with a diameter of 30μm~80μm. The two pins of the electrode interface are respectively inserted into two channels. The pin spacing of the electrode interface is greater than 500μm. The two pins apply friction force to fix the electrode interface by squeezing the channel wall where the pins are located.

[0038] A method for preparing a micro multi-channel continuum robot, the method comprising the following steps: Step S1, heating three PU tubes with the same diameter and length to a molten state respectively; Step S2, extruding the three molten PU tubes against each other to fuse them into a three-channel PU tube; Step S3, heating the three-channel PU tube to a molten state, and stretching it into a multi-channel body under the action of an external force; Step S4, filling the liquid metal into a channel by air pressure, and encapsulating the channel outlet with an electrode interface; Step S5, uniformly mixing the multilayer graphene material and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a temperature-sensitive composite material, and filling the mixture into a channel by air pressure; Step S6, embedding the metal wire into the temperature sensing material and curing it in a high temperature environment to form a temperature sensing probe; Step S7, uniformly mix Ecoflex-0030 and NdFeB magnetic particles, and apply them to the end of the multi-channel robot; Step S8, heating in a high temperature environment to form a magnetic response end; Step S9, magnetizing the magnetic response to obtain a micro multi-channel continuum soft robot.

[0039] Furthermore, the diameter of the PU tube is 6×4 mm and the length is 5 cm.

[0040] Furthermore, the three-channel PU tubes are arranged in a triangular shape.

[0041] Furthermore, the liquid metal is EGaIn gallium-indium alloy, and its melting point is 16°C.

[0042] Furthermore, the temperature-sensitive composite material is a black viscous fluid.

[0043] Furthermore, the temperature sensing probe is a columnar structure with a length of 1 cm and a diameter of 100 μm to 300 μm.

[0044] Furthermore, the air pressure is generated by an air pressure pump and its magnitude is 1 MPa.

[0045] Furthermore, the high temperature curing temperature is 60°C to 100°C.

[0046] Furthermore, the magnetic response end can be magnetized by an external magnetic field with a magnetic field strength of 1 T, and the magnetization direction can be changed according to needs.

[0047] Furthermore, the diameter and length of the micro multi-channel continuum soft robot are controllable.

[0048] When the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is a flexible robot that needs to enter a human blood vessel to operate, the prepared micro-multi-channel continuum soft robot is tested in a test environment including a simulated blood vessel and a simulated lesion, and the simulated blood vessel is used to simulate an external pipeline to test the movement process of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot in the simulated blood vessel environment and the simulated diagnosis and treatment of the simulated lesion; The test environment includes a micro multi-channel continuum robot 1, a permanent magnet array 2, a simulated blood vessel 3, a peristaltic pump 4, a propulsion device 5, a DC power supply 6, a computer 7, a digital source meter 8, a digital thermocouple 9, a syringe 10, and a stepper motor 140; The permanent magnet array includes two array molds 22 and six permanent magnets 21; the array mold is circular and has six semicircular grooves, and the angle between each groove is 60°; the permanent magnets 21 are embedded in the semicircular grooves of the array mold according to a preset arrangement, and the two array molds are fixed by four auricle structures on the periphery; The permanent magnet array is installed on the shaft of the stepper motor and rotates under the drive of the stepper motor; the array magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet array is approximately a uniform magnetic field at the center, such as Figure 8 As shown; The simulated blood vessel is made of transparent acrylic material and has a rectangular parallelepiped structure. It is formed by combining the simulated blood vessel upper part 31 and the simulated blood vessel lower part 32. The simulated blood vessel has a curved vascular venous structure at the bifurcation area of ​​the pipeline. The specific use process of the test environment includes the following steps: Step A1, a peristaltic pump is connected to a simulated blood vessel through a water pipe to provide circulating bionic blood; the bionic blood is composed of triglyceride and water in a predetermined ratio to simulate the viscous flow of blood; Step A2, the micro-multi-channel continuum robot enters the simulated blood vessel through a syringe, the tail end of the robot is connected to the pushing device, and the robot moves along the simulated blood vessel under the pushing action of the pushing device and the flow field generated by the peristaltic pump; during the moving process, the moving speed of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is controlled by the pushing speed of the pushing device; Step A3: When the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is observed to move to the bifurcation of the simulated blood vessel, the robot is stopped, and the permanent magnet array changes the direction of the external magnetic field by rotating along the normal direction, so that the head end of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot produces a corresponding deflection with the change of the direction of the external magnetic field, such as Fig. 9 As shown; after the head end of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is deflected to the angle corresponding to the simulated blood vessel bifurcation branch, the micro-multi-channel continuum robot can enter the corresponding simulated blood vessel branch; Step A4: When the head end of the micro multi-channel continuum robot moves to the position of the simulated lesion, the temperature sensing probe senses the abnormal change of the blood vessel temperature, transmits the resistance signal to the digital source meter through the metal wire, and observes the resistance change in the digital source meter; the computer is connected to the digital source meter, and the temperature of the simulated lesion is obtained by analyzing the change of the resistance signal; the digital thermocouple monitors the actual temperature of the simulated lesion in real time, and compares it with the transmission signal of the temperature sensing probe; Step A5: after the lesion area of ​​the simulated lesion is detected, the drug is delivered into an empty channel of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot through the drug delivery end with a large diameter at the input end of the robot, and the drug is slowly delivered into the simulated lesion by generating pressure through an air pump; Step A6: If the test process sets the site of the simulated lesion to be nerve tissue, the micro multi-channel continuum robot applies electrical stimulation to the diseased tissue through the electrode interface; specifically: the DC power supply transmits the electrical signal to the electrode interface through the liquid metal in the channel, and performs electrical stimulation on the simulated lesion through the contact between the electrode interface and the simulated lesion.

[0049] In this example, the simulated blood vessel 3 can be made of transparent acrylic material, and the blood vessel veins are obtained by CNC engraving; after the micro multi-channel continuum robot 1 enters the simulated blood vessel 3, its movement state and position can be directly observed.

[0050] In this example, the robot enters the blood vessel by generating a flow field propulsion force when injecting through a syringe, and moves forward in the blood vessel relying on the flow field propulsion generated by the syringe and blood.

[0051] In this case, when the test environment uses opaque pipes, external imaging devices such as X-ray and ultrasound imaging can be used to locate the robot position.

[0052] In this example, the propulsion device is a ball screw guide rail, and the stepper motor drives the slider push plate to push the syringe to achieve propulsion movement. The propulsion speed is controlled by programming the speed of the stepper motor.

[0053] Embodiment 1: See also Figure 2-4 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the integrated structure of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention, Figure 4 It is a microscopic and physical schematic diagram of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention.

[0054] This embodiment prepares a micro multi-channel continuum robot, which can achieve minimally invasive treatment under the joint drive of magnetic field and flow field. The micro multi-channel continuum robot includes: a multi-channel body 11, a magnetic response end 12, an electrode interface 13, a metal wire 14, a liquid metal 15, and a temperature sensing probe 16. The multi-channel body 11 is formed by melting and stretching thermoplastic material, with the proximal end being an input port with a larger diameter and the distal end being an output port with a smaller diameter; the magnetic response end 12 is wrapped at the distal end of the multi-channel body 11 by dip coating, and forms a magnetic soft skin after solidification; the liquid metal 15 enters a channel of the multi-channel body 11 from the proximal end through air pressure, and the channel outlet is encapsulated by the electrode interface 13; the two pins of the electrode interface 13 are respectively inserted into different channels, and the electrode interface 13 is under pressure at this time, and a large friction force is generated with the tube wall of the multi-channel body 11; the temperature probe 16 also enters another channel of the multi-channel body 11 from the proximal end through air pressure; a section of the metal wire 14 is embedded in the temperature probe 16, and the rest is adhered to the surface of the multi-channel body 11 through PDMS. The micro multi-channel continuum robot in this example does not require a built-in power source, and can be wirelessly controlled by blood flow in the body and an external magnetic field; and each functional component is integrated inside the channel, which greatly simplifies the robot structure and achieves a micron-level size.

[0055] Embodiment 2: See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 The present invention provides a method for preparing a micro multi-channel continuum robot, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Heat three PU tubes with a diameter of 6×4 mm and a length of 5 cm respectively using an electric ceramic ring 110 at 480-520° C. for 10 seconds until they are in a molten state; Step 2: The three molten PU tubes are squeezed against each other, and the contact parts are fused together to form a three-channel PU tube 120, each channel having an inner diameter of 4 mm, arranged in a triangle; Step 3, heating the three-channel PU tube in the electric ceramic ring 110 to a molten state at a heating temperature of 480-520° C. for 20 seconds to a molten state, and stretching it under an external force to obtain a micro multi-channel tube 130; Step 4: Inject 0.5 mL of gallium-indium alloy (EGAln) into the proximal end of the multi-channel body 11, and connect an air pump to fill the liquid metal into a channel at a pressure of 1 MPa. The outlet of the channel is packaged with a U-shaped tungsten wire with a diameter of 50 μm and a length of 0.5 cm. Step 5: evenly mix the multilayer graphene material and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in a mass ratio of 1:4 to form a temperature-sensitive composite material, inject it into the proximal end of the multi-channel body, connect an air pump, and fill it into one channel at a pressure of 1 MPa; Step 6: embed the silver wire into the temperature sensing material through a 50 μm needle, the diameter of the silver wire is 30 μm; cure the multi-channel body embedded with the silver wire and the temperature sensing material in a drying oven at 80° C. for 1 hour to obtain a temperature sensing probe 16; Step 7: Prepare magnetic composite ink, mix liquid A and liquid B of Ecoflex-0030 silicone elastomer in a mass ratio of 1:1, and then mix them with neodymium iron boron magnetic particles in a mass ratio of 1:1; heat them in a drying oven at 60°C for 5 minutes to increase the viscosity, and then apply them to the end of the multi-channel robot; Step 8, heat and cure in a drying oven at 120° C. for 10 minutes to form a magnetic response end 12; Step 9: magnetize the magnetic response end with a magnetic field strength of 1 T of an external magnetizing device to obtain a micro multi-channel continuum soft robot 1.

[0056] Embodiment 3: See also Figure 1 and Figure 6-10 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the working process of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a steering control device of the present invention, Figure 7is a schematic diagram of the structure of the permanent magnet array of the present invention, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the array magnetic field of the permanent magnet array of the present invention, Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the micro multi-channel continuum robot of the present invention turning under the drive of a magnetic field. Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the vascular structure of the simulated blood vessel of the present invention.

[0057] This embodiment demonstrates the movement process of a micro multi-channel continuum robot in a simulated vascular environment and the diagnosis and treatment of simulated lesions, including a micro multi-channel continuum robot 1, a permanent magnet array 2, a simulated blood vessel 3, a peristaltic pump 4, a propulsion device 5, a DC power supply 6, a computer 7, a digital source meter 8, a digital thermocouple 9, a syringe 10, and a stepper motor 140. The permanent magnet array includes two array molds 22 and six permanent magnets 21; the array mold is circular and has six semicircular grooves, and the angle between each groove is 60°; the permanent magnets 21 are embedded in the array mold according to the arrangement, and the two array molds are fixed by four auricle structures on the periphery; the permanent magnet array 2 is installed on the rotating shaft of the stepper motor 140 and can rotate under the drive of the stepper motor; the array magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet array 2 is approximately a uniform magnetic field at the center, such as Figure 8 As shown; the simulated blood vessel 3 is made of transparent acrylic material and has a rectangular parallelepiped structure. It is formed by combining the simulated blood vessel upper part 31 and the simulated blood vessel lower part 32, and has a curved blood vessel vein; The specific use process is as follows: the peristaltic pump 4 is connected to the simulated blood vessel 3 through a water pipe to provide circulating bionic blood; the bionic blood is composed of triglycerides and water in a certain proportion to simulate the viscous flow of blood; the micro-multi-channel continuum robot 1 enters the simulated blood vessel 3 through the syringe 10, and advances along the simulated blood vessel 3 under the driving action of the driving device 5 and the flow field generated by the peristaltic pump 4; during the advancement process, the advancement speed of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot 1 can be controlled by the propulsion speed of the propulsion device 5; when it is observed that the micro-multi-channel continuum robot 1 moves to the bifurcation of the simulated blood vessel 3, the permanent magnet array 2 changes the direction of the external magnetic field by rotating along the normal direction, and the micro-multi-channel continuum robot 1 produces corresponding deflection with the change of the direction of the external magnetic field, such as Fig. 9As shown; after deflecting to a certain angle, the micro multi-channel continuum robot 1 can enter the corresponding blood vessel branch; when moving to the simulated lesion position, the temperature sensing probe 16 senses the abnormal change of the blood vessel temperature, and transmits the resistance signal to the digital source meter 8 through the metal wire 14, and the resistance change can be observed in the digital source meter 8; the computer 7 is connected to the digital source meter 8, and the temperature of the simulated lesion is obtained by analyzing the change of the resistance signal; the digital thermocouple 9 monitors the actual temperature of the simulated lesion in real time, and forms a comparison with the transmission signal of the temperature sensing probe; when the lesion area is detected, the micro multi-channel continuum robot is supplied with a large-diameter drug delivery end. 1 is injected with drugs into an empty channel, and the pressure is generated by the air pump to slowly inject the drugs into the lesion; if the diseased site is nerve tissue, the micro multi-channel continuum robot 1 can apply electrical stimulation to the diseased tissue through the electrode interface 13; the DC power supply 9 transmits the electrical signal to the electrode interface 13 through the liquid metal 15, and realizes electrical stimulation through the contact between the electrode interface 13 and the human body; due to the versatility and softness of the micro multi-channel continuum robot 1, the integrated integration of diagnosis and multiple treatments can be realized at one time, thereby improving work efficiency and treatment safety, improving treatment effects, and reducing the damage to human blood vessels caused by multiple interventions.

[0058] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprises", "includes" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or apparatus that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or apparatus.

[0059] This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. The above is only a preferred implementation of the present invention. It should be pointed out that due to the limitations of textual expression and the objective existence of infinite specific structures, ordinary technicians in this technical field can make several improvements, modifications or changes without departing from the principles of the present invention, and can also combine the above technical features in an appropriate manner; these improvements, modifications, changes or combinations, or the direct application of the inventive concept and technical solution to other occasions without improvement, should be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A micro multi-channel continuum robot, characterized in that: The robot comprises a soft-wire multi-channel body (11), a magnetic response end (12) being provided at the head end of the multi-channel body, and when the robot moves in an external pipe, the magnetic response end is attracted by an external magnetic force to select the direction of travel of the robot head at the pipe bifurcation; the multi-channel body has multiple channels arranged in parallel and connected to each other on the side walls, including a channel for inserting two pins of an electrode interface (13), a channel on which a temperature sensing probe (16) is installed, and a channel with liquid metal (15) built in, wherein the outlet of the channel with liquid metal built in is sealed with an electrode interface.

2. A micro multi-channel continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The magnetic response end is formed by curing a mixture of Ecoflex-0030 silicone elastomer and neodymium iron boron magnetic particles. Specifically, the material is first wrapped around the head end of the multi-channel body by a dip coating method, and then cured to form a magnetic soft skin on the robot's head, and then magnetized by an external magnetic field.

3. A micro multi-channel continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-channel body is formed by melt stretching of thermoplastic material, the tail end of the multi-channel body is the robot input port, the head end of the multi-channel body is the robot output port, and the diameter of the robot input port is larger than that of the robot output port.

4. A micro multi-channel continuum robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The liquid metal is poured into the channel by gas pressure, and the liquid metal in the channel is in a flowing state.

5. The micro multi-channel continuum robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The temperature sensing probe is pressed into a channel for installing the temperature sensing probe from an input port by air pressure, the temperature sensing probe is connected to a wire (140), a section of the wire is embedded in the temperature sensing probe, and the rest of the wire is adhered to the surface of the multi-channel body through PDMS.

6. The micro multi-channel continuum robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The temperature sensing probe is formed by a composite of multilayer graphene material and PDMS material. The temperature sensing probe detects temperature changes through resistance changes, and its sensitivity is not less than 0.5°C; the wire is a silver wire, one end of which is embedded in the temperature sensing probe and the other end is connected to the digital source meter, and its diameter is 50μm.

7. The micro multi-channel continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-channel body is a three-channel structure, and the functions carried by the three channels do not interfere with each other.

8. The micro multi-channel continuum robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrode interface includes a U-shaped tungsten wire structure with a diameter of 30μm~80μm. The two pins of the electrode interface are respectively inserted into two channels. The pin spacing of the electrode interface is greater than 500μm. The two pins apply friction force to fix the electrode interface by squeezing the channel wall where the pins are located.

9. A method for preparing a micro multi-channel continuum robot, characterized in that: The preparation method comprises the following steps: Step S1, heating three PU tubes with the same diameter and length to a molten state respectively; Step S2, extruding three molten PU tubes against each other to fuse them into a three-channel PU tube; Step S3, heating the three-channel PU tube to a molten state, and stretching it into a multi-channel body under the action of an external force; Step S4, filling the liquid metal into a channel by air pressure, and encapsulating the channel outlet with an electrode interface; Step S5, uniformly mixing the multilayer graphene material and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a temperature-sensitive composite material, and filling the mixture into a channel by air pressure; Step S6, embedding the metal wire into the temperature sensing material and curing it in a high temperature environment to form a temperature sensing probe; Step S7, uniformly mix Ecoflex-0030 and NdFeB magnetic particles, and apply the mixture to the end of the multi-channel robot; Step S8, heating in a high temperature environment to form a magnetic response end; Step S9, magnetizing the magnetic response to obtain a micro multi-channel continuum soft robot.

10. The method for preparing the micro multi-channel continuum robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: When the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is a flexible robot that needs to enter a human blood vessel to operate, the prepared micro-multi-channel continuum soft robot is tested in a test environment including a simulated blood vessel and a simulated lesion, and the simulated blood vessel is used to simulate an external pipeline to test the movement process of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot in the simulated blood vessel environment and the simulated diagnosis and treatment of the simulated lesion; The test environment includes a micro multi-channel continuum robot (1), a permanent magnet array (2), a simulated blood vessel (3), a peristaltic pump (4), a propulsion device (5), a DC power supply (6), a computer (7), a digital source meter (8), a digital thermocouple (9), a syringe (10), and a stepper motor (140); The permanent magnet array comprises two array molds (22) and six permanent magnets (21); the array mold is circular and has six semicircular grooves, with the angle between each groove being 60°; the permanent magnets (21) are embedded in the semicircular grooves of the array mold according to a preset arrangement, and the two array molds are fixed by four auricle structures on the periphery; The permanent magnet array is mounted on the rotating shaft of the stepper motor and rotates under the drive of the stepper motor; the array magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet array is approximately a uniform magnetic field at the center; The simulated blood vessel is made of a transparent acrylic material and has a rectangular parallelepiped structure. It is composed of two parts: an upper part (31) of the simulated blood vessel and a lower part (32) of the simulated blood vessel. The simulated blood vessel has a curved vascular venous structure at the bifurcation area of ​​the vessel. The specific use process of the test environment includes the following steps: Step A1, a peristaltic pump is connected to a simulated blood vessel through a water pipe to provide circulating bionic blood; the bionic blood is composed of triglyceride and water in a predetermined ratio to simulate the viscous flow of blood; Step A2, the micro-multi-channel continuum robot enters the simulated blood vessel through a syringe, and the robot moves forward along the simulated blood vessel under the driving action of the driving device and the flow field generated by the peristaltic pump; during the moving process, the moving speed of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is controlled by the driving speed of the driving device; Step A3: When the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is observed to move to the bifurcation of the simulated blood vessel, the robot is stopped first, and the permanent magnet array changes the direction of the external magnetic field by rotating along the normal direction, so that the head end of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is deflected accordingly with the change of the direction of the external magnetic field; after the head end of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot is deflected to the angle corresponding to the bifurcation branch of the simulated blood vessel, the micro-multi-channel continuum robot can enter the corresponding simulated blood vessel branch; Step A4: When the head end of the micro multi-channel continuum robot moves to the position of the simulated lesion, the temperature sensing probe senses the abnormal change of the blood vessel temperature, transmits the resistance signal to the digital source meter through the metal wire, and observes the resistance change in the digital source meter; the computer is connected to the digital source meter, and the temperature of the simulated lesion is obtained by analyzing the change of the resistance signal; the digital thermocouple monitors the actual temperature of the simulated lesion in real time, and compares it with the transmission signal of the temperature sensing probe; Step A5: after the lesion area of ​​the simulated lesion is detected, the drug is delivered into an empty channel of the micro-multi-channel continuum robot through the drug delivery end with a large diameter at the input end of the robot, and the drug is slowly delivered into the simulated lesion by generating pressure through an air pump; Step A6: If the test process sets the site of the simulated lesion to be nerve tissue, the micro multi-channel continuum robot applies electrical stimulation to the diseased tissue through the electrode interface; specifically: the DC power supply transmits the electrical signal to the electrode interface through the liquid metal in the channel, and performs electrical stimulation on the simulated lesion through the contact between the electrode interface and the simulated lesion.

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