A Mobile Robot Driven by Miniature Onboard Motors for Cardiac Intervention

This work was supported by the NIH under Grant R01 HL078839. Abstract—This paper describes the development and construction of a mobile robot driven by miniature ultrasonic piezoelectric motors for minimally invasive cardiac therapy. The robot design extends upon previous prototypes of HeartLander, a miniature mobile robot that moves in an inchworm-like fashion. Construction of the system included motor selection, body design, and development of the control system. The robotic design was developed as a proof of concept to demonstrate mobility on the cardiac surface. This paper presents the design of the robotic platform and preliminary testing results in vitro. The development of the robot allows for increased turning capability and higher traction during locomotion, and represents the first step in designing a wireless mobile robot for cardiac therapy.