Surgical tool inspired by ovipositor of parasitic wasps

The prototype, developed by researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and described in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, could allow MIS techniques to be used in previously hard-to-reach areas of the body.

Medical sting

The ovipositor is an ultra-thin organ, shaped like a flexible hollow needle, used by parasitic wasps to lay their eggs in trees or live hosts. Inside this delicate organ is a series of blades that join with a tongue-and-groove mechanism. The blades can slide independently of each other to create friction forces by using their mechanical movement, and these friction forces were used by the researchers in the implementation of their design.

"The wasp ovipositor is so thin that it can't actually fit any muscles within it, so we knew it was a clever mechanical solution worth studying to see if we could recreate it," said lead author Dr Aimée Sakes of the Bio-Inspired Technology Group at Delft University of Technology, led by Prof Dr Paul Breedveld.