Multilayer fabrication of durable catheter-deployable soft robotic sensor arrays for efficient left atrial mapping

Abstract

Devices that perform cardiac mapping and ablation to treat atrial fibrillation provide an effective means of treatment. Current devices, however, have limitations that either require tedious point-by-point mapping of a cardiac chamber or have limited ability to conform to the complex anatomy of a patient’s cardiac chamber. In this work, a detailed, scalable, and manufacturable technique is reported for fabrication of a multielectrode, soft robotic sensor array. These devices exhibit high conformability (~85 to 90%) and are equipped with an array of stretchable electronic sensors for voltage mapping. The form factor of the device is intended to match that of the entire left atrium and has a hydraulically actuated soft robotic structure whose profile facilitates deployment from a 13.5-Fr catheter. We anticipate that the methods described in this paper will serve a new generation of conformable medical devices that leverage the unique characteristics of stretchable electronics and soft robotics.

Fluidic enabled bioelectronic implants: opportunities and challenges

“…84 Similarly, for implants placed internally within organs, for example inside the heart or blood vessels, the use of fluidic shape actuation enables implants that expand to conform to the internal structure (Figure 3(b-c)). 85,86,91,92 These types of devices utilise photolithography to fabricate the electrical interface on thinfilm biocompatible polymers, such as parylene-c or polyimide. 8486 The fluidic actuators are made from thin-film biocompatible polymers, such as silicones and TPU, and can be thermally bonded using laser cutting to weld multiple layers together to form an actuator.…”

“…3(b and c)). [85][86][87][88] These types of devices utilise photolithography to fabricate the electrical interface on thin-film biocompatible polymers, such as parylene-c or polyimide. 84,86 The fluidic actuators are made from thin-film biocompatible polymers, such as silicones and TPU, and can be thermally bonded using laser cutting to weld multiple layers together to form an actuator.…”

“…(Reproduced with permission from AAAS. 85 Copyright 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee AAAS. Distributed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license) (c) Expandable bioelectronic sensing array fabricated on a silicone balloon catheter.…”

“…This shape actuation can enable the minimally invasive implantation of large area implants for electrical recording and stimulation of surrounding tissue. 84 Existing implant technologies, such as an implantable spinal cord stimulator 84 or a sensing catheter for cardiac mapping, 85 can be adapted to integrate soft-robotic fabrication techniques and materials. This enables minimally invasive implantation of these devices through shape and size reduction.…”

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) Enabled Virtual Shop Applications Using Self‐Powered Sensor Enhanced Soft Robotic Manipulator

“…By considering the large deformability of the soft robots, flexible tactile and strain sensors [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ] have been developed frequently due to the better compatibility compared to the conventional rigid sensors, i.e., potentiometer and encoder. For instance, Goldoni et al.…”