Key points from article :
A team led by Assistant Professor Tommaso Ranzani has achieved a major advance in soft robotics by developing a low-cost, flexible robot capable of performing surgical tasks inside a living, beating heart—a space too dynamic and unforgiving for human hands or traditional rigid robots. Published in Advanced Robotics Research, the study—co-authored by PhD student Leonardo Zamora Yañez—demonstrates a soft-robotic guidance system that can safely manipulate tissues, maintain stable contact with constantly moving structures, and carry out complex maneuvers that were previously impossible during minimally invasive heart procedures.
Unlike existing surgical robots designed primarily for stability, Ranzani’s system is built for adaptability and high mobility. Its soft, compliant materials naturally move with each heartbeat, reducing the need for complex synchronization systems. This property not only improves precision but also enables procedures to remain truly trans-catheter, allowing surgeons to work inside the heart while it continues to beat. Early experiments—supported by an NIH Trailblazer Award—showed remarkable gains, with tasks like cannulation dropping from over an hour to under ten minutes.
The robot’s design also emphasizes accessibility. Despite its sophistication, the device costs under $100 to produce, with only a single reusable nitinol stabilizer accounting for most of the price. This affordability could make advanced cardiac robotics available to hospitals far beyond major research centers. Real-time force sensing built into the soft structure further enhances safety by monitoring and controlling contact pressure during delicate operations.
Backed by a new $2 million NIH R01 grant and collaborations with Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital, the team is now expanding trials and refining the technology. Human studies remain several years away, but the trajectory is promising. As Ranzani’s group continues to refine soft robotic manipulation inside beating hearts, they are not only making existing procedures safer and faster—they are opening the door to entirely new cardiac interventions that were previously out of reach.
