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New surgical robot makes it easier to perform complicated surgeries (video)
Those who visited our Expand events in San Francisco and New York last year already know that Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci robot allows for minimally invasive surgery while still giving doctors the kind of dexterity and control they need to do the job. However, the current iteration of the system, the da Vinci Si, is only optimal when targeting a small, focused area. If the surgeon wants to explore a different part of the body mid-operation, he or she would need to reposition the entire apparatus, which sometimes means driving the patient cart around to the other side or having to wedge the da Vinci base in between the patient's legs. Today, however, Intuitive Surgical has announced the da Vinci Xi, a brand new surgical robot that promises to make it a lot easier for surgeons to perform exactly those kinds of complex surgeries.
Tokyo's IBIS robot promises cheaper surgery, throws shade at da Vinci (video)
"Anything you can do, I can do cheaper," says the Tokyo Institute of Technology while jabbing a rude elbow in the ribs of Intuitive Surgical. The Japanese institute is showing off IBIS, a surgical robot that is expected to cost between a third and a tenth of the $2 million it takes to buy one of Intuitive's da Vinci droids. Unlike its electrically powered American rival, IBIS is pneumatic, making it significantly cheaper and able to provide force feedback to surgeons when the arms touch something. The engineers behind the 'bot are hoping to produce a practical version within the next five years, and we're already thinking about inviting both machines along for a fight at Expand 2020. In the meantime, you can catch IBIS in action in the video after the break.
LSUHSC hires surgical robot to remove salivary stone
Louisiana State University's Health Sciences Center has just enlisted the support of a surgical robot "guided by a miniature salivary endoscope" in order to yank a 20mm salivary stone and mend the salivary duct of a 31-year-old patient. A bit gruesome to consider, sure, but it's a whole lot less invasive than removing entire salivary glands as we've had to do in the past. Purportedly, the new procedure saves the salivary gland, cuts down on blood loss, reduces scarring and shortens the accompanying hospital stay. While inside, the robot can also provide high-definition, 3D images, but there doesn't seem to be any public word on when this here doodad will be ready for use outside of a lab. We're guessing it'll get loads of testing done down in Baton Rouge, though -- this Les Miles fellow seems to be giving fans heart attacks, kidney stones and all sorts of other stress-related conditions.
Sofie surgical robot gives haptic feedback for a more humane touch
Surgical procedures assisted by robots are nothing new -- they can be more precise and less invasive -- and now it looks like a new upgrade could make them even better. The main drawback of a surgical robot is that the human surgeon performing the operation gets no tactile feedback, but that's not the case with Sofie. Sofie, a joystick controlled robot gives haptic feedback to the surgeon by adjusting the resistance the controls give to indicate how much pressure is being exerted, surely a welcome addition to bots of this kind. This robot is also more compact than many earlier bots of this kind, and its creators are now looking to bring it into production, with a goal of it coming to the market in about five years.
Robot Hall of Fame expands to include Da Vinci, Terminator, Roomba
Forget those "sporting" Halls of Fame -- the real HOF is right here. Since 2003, the Robot Hall of Fame has been honoring robots and creators at an exhibit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now we're seeing the latest handful of noteworthy creatures take their rightful place in history. For those unaware, the Robot HOF is maintained by Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Science Center, and an international jury of researchers, writers, and designers has just selected five new bots to join the cast: Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the T-800 Terminator (yes, that Terminator), the Da Vinci surgical system, iRobot's Roomba and 'Huey, Dewey, and Louie' from the 1972 sci-fi flick Silent Running. Could you have imagined a more fitting five? If so, sound off below!
European Parkinson's patients receive first Libra DBS implants to help alleviate symptoms
St. Jude Medical's announced that patients from Austria, Germany, and Greece are among the first to be implanted with Libra Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) devices to alleviate the symptoms of advanced Parkinson's Disease. Specifically, it's able to reduce akinesia, rigidity, tremor, and motor complications associated with taking levodopa.The company's touting Libra and LibraXP as having the longest-lasting battery of any DBS in their class, meaning potentially less surgical procedures needed for for when they gotta be replaced. No word on when they'll be expanding use of the device, but we're sure it's coming.[Via Medgadget]
Laser-bonded healing could replace needle and thread
It sounds more like something you'd see in X-Men than on an actual operating table in real life, but a team at Massachusetts General Hospital has developed a way to heal surgical incisions with laser light. Christened laser-bonded healing, the methodology has been studied for years, but up until now, scientists have found it impossible to find the perfect balance of heat required to coax tissue into healing itself back together. Irene Kochevar described the process as "nano suturing," as diminutive collagen fibers are woven together in a way that the old-fashioned needle-and-thread method simply can't match. The benefits, as you can likely imagine, are numerous: less scarring, faster recovery, the potential for fewer infections and bragging rights that you were struck with lasers and survived. Still, the procedure is far from becoming commonplace in ORs, given that the dermatological procedure hasn't even been submitted to the FDA yet. 'Til then, it's up to you and Wolverine to figure things out.
Confirmed at last: LifeSigns headed to the US
Way back in March, rumors surfaced regarding the long-overdue localization of LifeSigns: Hospital Affairs, and it looks like Siliconera's detective work was right on the button: the doctor sim is due this summer. Now here's where it gets confusing. Our original reports had Hospital Affairs coming out this week and Surgical Unit at the end of June. Now, as of this new announcement, Hospital Affairs, based on the Japanese DS launch title Kenshuui Tendo Dokuta, is coming sometime this summer. We originally assumed, based on the separate GameStop listings, that Surgical Unit was a localized version of the second Tendo Dokuta game, but according to an interview with one of the game's producers, they're two different names for the first game.During the interview, the producer asserted that the US-released LifeSigns game was going to be called Surgical Unit, but all the promotional material (including the website) uses the title Hospital Affairs. Yikes. We think this is because the promotional information is for the European release.Okay, we're getting mixed up ourselves, so here's the final breakdown in bullet-point form: There is only one LifeSigns game announced for the US so far, with some kind of subtitle. It is coming out some time this summer. %Gallery-3301%
University of Washington's Raven to try surgery in simulated spacecraft
If you thought ASTRO and NextSat were the only two autonomous robots frolicking around in testing environments, Raven would certainly beg to differ, as NASA has recently announced that the University of Washington's mobile surgical robot will soon be off to tackle surgical tasks whilst underwater. The 12th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations test will see the mechanical MD pick up the tools in a simulated spacecraft submerged near Key Largo, Florida, where the "mission will test current technology for sending remote-controlled surgical robotic systems into space." Thanks to a combination of wired and wireless networks, a trio of seasoned veterans back in Seattle will be dictating the movements remotely, as the bot attempts to "suture a piece of rubber and move blocks from one spindle to another." Interestingly, there was no word on whether Raven was scheduled to pick up the night shift at Seattle Grace upon its return from the depths.[Via MedLaunches]
Infrascanner: the handheld NIR hematoma detector
As technology continues to make doctors' lives a bit easier (not to mention saving a few in the process), we've got yet another device that can detect a potentially fatal problem long before mere humans can figure it out. The Indian-based Infrascanner is a "handheld, non-invasive, near-infrared (NIR) based mobile imaging device used to detect brain hematoma at the site of injury" within the most important stage of pre-analysis. The device could also aid in the decision to proceed with "other tests such as head Computed Tomography (CT) scans" when not "facilitating surgical intervention decisions." While the methods behind the scanning are quite sophisticated, the unit uses diffused optical tomography to convert the light differential data seen in the local concentrations of hemoglobin into "interpretative scientific results." Potentially best of all, however, is just how close this thing is to actually hitting hospital wards, as it's simply missing the oh-so-coveted FDA stamp of approval before it can see commercial use.[Via MedGadget]
Lifesigns schedules operations for June
We hadn't heard anything about the US localizations of the two Tendo Dokuta games since November. Siliconera is reporting today that the two games, called Lifesigns: Hospital Affairs and Lifesigns: Surgical Unit are being published by Dreamcatcher Interactive and released on May 15 and June 28 respectively. A quick jaunt over to EBGames' webpage confirms this information for Surgical Unit (if EB is to be trusted), but Hospital Affairs is nowhere to be seen.Tendo Dokuta was a launch title for the DS in Japan. It's amazing that someone's just now getting around to localizing it!
da Vinci robot creators being sued by Caltech
It's no secret that doctors ought to have a good bit of insurance on their side due to the flurry of medical malpractice (and similar) lawsuits that hit hospitals and surgeons everyday, but you know things are rough when robotic MDs get taken to court as well. Intuitive Surgical Inc., the creators of the da Vinci system for robotic surgery, has been sued by the California Institute of Technology, which claims that the system "infringes four patents held by the university." Obviously, Intuitive's CEO called the suit "outrageous and without merit," but the Pasadena school is nevertheless "seeking an injunction" and repayment for "damages." What's notable about the case, however, is where it was filed, as Tyler, Texas is quite a long ways from both institutions, but attorney's in the know have called the Lonestar State "a haven for patent pirates." Of course, there are rulings out there that are finally leaning the way of the tech firms at hand, suggesting that "obvious patent laws" should be relaxed somewhat, but it seems that even this probably won't mess with Texas. Nevertheless, let's just hope one of those lawyers doesn't end up under a (disgruntled) da Vinci knife one day.[Via RobotGossip]
