Robot locates shrapnel, guides needle

DURHAM, N.C., June 19 (UPI) -- A robot that finds bits of shrapnel in flesh and guides a needle to the exact location could help treat battle injuries, researchers in North Carolina said.

"It can be very difficult using conventional means to detect small pieces of shrapnel, especially in the field," Duke University researcher Stephen Smith said. "The military has an extensive program of exploring the use of surgical robots in the field, and this advance could play a role."

The robot also could be used for medical procedures, such as removing radioactive "seeds" used to treat cancers and extracting foreign, metallic objects from the eye, Smith said.

Using ultrasound technology and 3-D moving images, the Duke robot, without human assistance, located tiny pieces of metal in water baths, then directed a needle on the end of a robotic arm to the exact location, Smith said.

"The movement caused by the electromagnet on the shrapnel was not visible to the human eye," researcher A.J. Rogers said. "However, on the 3-D color Doppler system, the moving shrapnel stood out plainly as bright red."