Robot 'snakes' could slither inside your brain to treat blood clots: study

Robots may soon be taking over our brains -- but not for the reason you think. Mechanical engineers have developed a snake-like robot to navigate narrow pathways in the body -- particularly blood vessels in the brain. The scientists with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) hope the invention, now in the prototype stage, can be used to break up blood clots or treat strokes and aneurysms. A similar treatment called mechanical thrombectomy has been used for years, in which a metal wire had to be guided manually through vessels, starting all the way down in an artery in the upper thigh. But the treatment isn't ideal -- it requires a surgeon with specialized training, and involves using X-rays to guide the way, which could expose patients to tissue-damaging radiation.