Milli-spinner Medical Devices
The lab explores and develops new spinning biomedical devices to treat common conditions such as blood-clot induced strokes and heart attacks, and kidney stones. These devices (both tethered and untethered magnetically-driven) have been tested in both vascular models and in pig studies.
Vascular diseases—including atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and aneurysms—can precipitate life-threatening events, yet conventional catheter- and guidewire-based interventions often struggle to navigate highly tortuous, complex, and high-flow vasculature. To address these limitations, we present a multifunctional, magnetically actuated milli-spinner robot that provides a rapid, stable, and wireless platform for minimally invasive vascular navigation and treatment. Its hollow cylindrical body integrates a central through-hole, side slits, and helical fins that collectively generate a spinning-induced flow field, enhancing propulsion efficiency, stability, and control under dynamic and pulsatile flow conditions. By combining computational fluid dynamics simulations with experimental validation, we optimize the milli-spinner’s structural design for high-speed propulsion and efficient clot debulking in tubular flow environments. The optimized device achieves swimming speeds of up to 55 cm·s⁻¹, enabling it to overcome fast blood flow and traverse complex vascular pathways. Beyond navigation, the milli-spinner supports multiple therapeutic functions: it generates localized suction and shear forces for efficient clot removal, facilitates targeted drug delivery, and enables in situ embolization for aneurysm treatment. Together, these capabilities establish the milli-spinner as a potentially transformative endovascular platform that integrates navigation, intervention, and localized therapy within a single miniature robotic device.
Kidney stones can cause severe pain and complications such as chronic kidney disease or kidney failure. Retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), which uses laser lithotripsy to fragment stones for removal via a ureteroscope, is widely adopted due to its safety and effectiveness. However, conventional fragment removal methods using basketing and vacuum-assisted aspiration are inefficient, as they can capture only 1–3 fragments (1–3 mm in size) per pass, often requiring dozens to hundreds of ureteroscope passes during a single procedure to completely remove the fragments. These limitations lead to prolonged procedures and residual fragments that contribute to high recurrence rates. To address these limitations, we present a novel spinner device that enables ultra-efficient fragment removal through spinning-induced localized suction.