We are developing a catheter that actively bends in response to applied voltage. This project in collaboration with Victor Yang’s group at Ryerson University and Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, seeks to demonstrate active catheters for use in accessing and locally imaging arteries within the heart. Catheters are tubular devices sometimes used to treat strokes and aneurysms, and their access to the brain is often very challenging and risky. A catheter is typically pushed through blood vessels using manually applied force, resulting in substantial force on vessel walls, increasing the risk of injury. Usage of polymer-based actuators to create catheters that can be actively steered by surgeons will provide reduced risk of procedural complications and better outcomes for patients. Background for the work is provided in Alberto Mazzoldi Danilo De Rossi, “Conductive polymer based structures for a steerable catheter” Proceedings of the SPIE – The International Society for Optical Engineering, v 3987, 2000, p 273-80. We collaborate with the University of Cergy-Pontoise on this project with previous work published in M. Farajollahi et al., Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 249, P. 45-56, 2016.
Structure and actuation of catheter
Fabricated sample, from collaborative work with our collaborators in LPPI laboratory
Bent catheter with actuation