Soft Robot Intubation Device Could Save Lives

Maintaining an open airway is one of the most critical priorities in emergency medicine, as without oxygen flow, other interventions can quickly fail. Endotracheal intubation is the gold standard but remains difficult even for highly trained providers and nearly impossible under poor field conditions. Now, researchers have developed a new device to make this procedure quicker and easier, with early tests showing very high success rates even among non-expert users.

This non-electronic soft robotic intubation system, designed by researchers at the University of California - Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA), autonomously guides a tube into the trachea. Traditional tools rely on rigid structures to push past the epiglottis and navigate the airway, but these are limited and can injure sensitive tissues. By contrast, the new soft, growing tube eliminates friction, conforms naturally to the airway’s shape, and requires only minimal training to use.

The device was tested on mannequins and cadavers to assess safety and efficiency. Expert users achieved 100% success in seconds, while nonexpert prehospital providers achieved a 96% overall success rate after only five minutes of training. Notably, first-pass attempts reached 87% success, with procedure duration nearly halved compared to state-of-the-art video laryngoscopes (21 seconds vs. 44 seconds).

The findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, suggest this technology could improve outcomes in millions of emergency intubations performed each year in the U.S. It may also find applications in military medical care and in regions with limited access to essential health services. The team now aims to begin clinical trials to secure FDA approval, ensuring the device’s safety and effectiveness across a wider range of airway conditions.

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