For operations on the brain it is necessary to gain access, and this, which is logical, you need to make a couple of holes in the skull. It requires a great precision and accuracy, which can handle not every neurosurgeon. But recently, scientists from the Technological University of Eindhoven has created a robot that can carry out such manipulations on the skull with incredible precision.
It would be difficult to “drill a hole in the skull”? But it all depends on the region of operation. The fact that in the skull are extremely fragile structures: nerves, receptors of the inner ear and other anatomical structures that can not be hurt under any circumstances, and during drilling the shards can hurt, and the blood is able to blur the image of the endoscope.
New robot surgeon has received the name RoBoSculpt, and, on assurances of creators, within the next five years he will be ready to carry out the operation on a human being. He RoBoSculpt is quite advanced manipulator with a surgical drill. The surgeon-operator must indicate on the computed tomography scan scope, and then all the work will be done by the robot. The manipulator has 7-axis and due to this you can choose almost any angle for manipulation. The first technical trials are already successful, and the first clinical tests will begin in 2018.
It is worth noting that directly to the brain of the robot is to operate not. Because of to manipulate the body should be recorded, and the extreme softness of the brain tissue does not allow it. Therefore, neurosurgeons without work will not stay.
RoBoSculpt: the first robot surgeon that can do craniotomy
Vladimir Kuznetsov