FIG. 8.

1-h-old blood clot is mechanically removed using a helical robot. The robot is controlled toward the clot and mechanical removal is achieved at an actuation frequency of 5 Hz, and against flow rate of 10 ml/h. (a) Position of the helical robot is estimated using magnetic tracking and used in the motion control system. The initial volume of the clot (v₀) is 94.24 mm³. The size of the blood clot (v) is decreased by 60.8% and 79.7% following 40 min and 75 min of mechanical rubbing, respectively. (b) The dashed white lines indicate the pre-conditions and post-conditions of the blood clot (see the supplementary material video).