Piezomotors for diagnosis, operating theater and other applications

Piezomotors are very good for medical applications. In some applications of the Diagnostics and especially in connection with the MRT (Magnetic resonance tomographs) there is even no alternative. The Swedish supplier Piezomotor has specialized in the small drives.

Piezomotors offer great precision with a small size. Need these properties Diagnostic devices, digital scanners, Surgical robot and Insulin pumps. But how does such a piezo motor work? The assemblies are based on piezoelectricity. A row of bimorph bending transducers is arranged in such a way that they bend and expand minimally when a voltage is applied. Combined in pairs, they are controlled alternately. As a result, they move a drive rod in nanometer resolution.

Piezo motor in MRI robots and PET scanners

The Positioning accurate to the nanometer a piezomotor delivers exact and reproducible results with ultra-high resolution. A linear piezoelectric powered one Motor ensures, for example, the desired dosage in the nanoliter range in a dosing pump.

The piezomotors can also be non-magnetic. That qualifies them for MRI applications. The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has developed an MRI surgical robot using piezomotors. This works trouble-free even under the influence of a magnetic field of several Tesla.

The robot now enables, for example Precision thermal ablation in brain tumors. Or he positions electrodes for deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's treatment. An MRI-guided biopsy for prostate cancer is also possible with the MRI.

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Non-magnetic linear motor for use in radiation

Because the Linear motorWhile they are suitable for vacuum use, they can be used in radiation applications. An example of this is the Positron emission tomography (PET). A so-called cyclotron is needed to produce the radioactive isotopes for scanning and diagnosing tumors and the smallest metastases.

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One such cyclotron is expensive and complex and not every clinic has the ability to produce these isotopes. Because isotopes disintegrate quickly, they have to be produced close to the PET scanner. Vacuum compatible piezomotors simplify the architecture of a cyclotron considerably and make them affordable.