Known as a magnetic tentacle robot, it measures just 2mm in diameter - approximately twice the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. Magnets on the outside of the patient will be used to guide it into place.
A proof-of-concept device has already been made based on laboratory tests involving a 3D replica of a bronchial tree modelled from anatomical data. The next phase of the research will investigate the effectiveness of the device in navigating lungs taken from a cadaver.
Currently, doctors use an instrument called a bronchoscope to carry out an examination of the lungs and air passages. The procedure involves passing a flexible tube-like instrument, about 3.5-4mm in diameter, through the nose or mouth and into the bronchial passages.
Due to its size, the bronchoscope can only travel as far as the upper levels of the bronchial tree.
To delve deeper into the lungs, a catheter or fine tube - measuring about 2mm in diameter - is passed through the bronchoscope...