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Four-armed surgical robot joins Edmonton hospital staff
While dexterous robots have been helping surgeons in America for some time, Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital is finally getting with the program. Beginning in September, a four-armed surgical robot will be used in procedures to treat prostate cancer, and should provide a much improved in-depth view of the body as well as boosting overall agility while operating. One of the diminutive arms will grasp a camera while the others wield the tools, and trained surgeons will be controlling the action from a three-dimensional screen positioned at a nearby base. Notably, one of the primary reasons Canada has been slower to adopt this type of technology is the price, and while it did cost some $4 million to purchase and retrofit the system into the OR, the shorter recovery time and improved precision whilst operating will certainly prove worthwhile to the average patient.
iPhone survives freezing temperatures, won't work with gloves
It's been a tick since anyone was brave enough to put their mobile through frozen conditions after that whole i-mate JAQ ordeal, but a fellow at f-secure did manage to put his own iPhone to the test to see just how well it would operate after a half hour in the freezer. Though Apple lists the "nonoperating temperature" as -4° to 113° Fahrenheit, this particular iPhone chilled out in -4° temperatures for 30 solid minutes before finally escaping, and while the touchscreen wouldn't respond at all to glove-covered fingertips, bare hands managed to show that all functionality was still in tact. Granted, it wasn't frozen in a block of ice or anything, but folks residing in bitterly cold locales can rest assured that their iPhone will indeed survive the frigid winters to come. Check out the video after the jump.[Via TUAW]
Students whip up Operation-playing robots
We know the Hippocratic Oath is kind of implied in Asimov's Three Laws, so we're kind of cleared for takeoff when it comes to robots performing surgery on us hapless meatbags. But we imagine no such laws or oaths apply to robots developed by UBC physics students, whose final exam is to build the best machine for playing a life-sized game of Operation. And not a moment too soon, because this case of writer's block is totally killing us -- so we'll just end the post here.
Cellphone lights enable operation to proceed in blackout
Hearing that a cellphone saved someone's life isn't exactly surprising these days, but it was the manner in which a bundle of handsets enabled doctors to continue on in a recent operation that differentiated this one from the rest. Reportedly, the backup generators at the Policlinico Juan D. Peron hospital in Argentina failed to activate after the power went out whilst an appendix surgery was ongoing, but rather than panicking, a family member gathered up a number of phones in order to provide enough light for the surgeons and anesthetists to keep on keepin' on. According to the hospital director, the operation went on without proper lighting for no more than 20 minutes, but thanks to the beaming LCDs, the fellow under the knife came through just fine.[Via Switched, image courtesy of foto8]
Satiety's transoral TOGa stomach stapling procedure
Satiety, Inc. has finally found the funding it needs to push forward with a radical new approach to assisting the obese, as it has rounded up $30 million in financing from a number of venture capitalists who dug the idea. Essentially, the TOGa procedure is a "completely transoral process designed to achieve similar weight loss to restrictive surgeries," and it also claims to be less invasive, require less recovery time, and should create a "dramatically reduced amount of complications." In this system, the physician would "introduce a stapling device transorally and create a restrictive pouch at the entry of the stomach," and moreover, it's considered "non-surgical" in nature, endoscopic, and can be performed by properly trained bariatric surgeons, general endoscopic surgeons, and gastroenterologists. Currently, the firm is moving forward with plans to get the procedure approved by the FDA, and while there's no telling how long such a convoluted process will take, stomach stapling could see an entirely different approach in the years to come if this proves effective.[Via CNET]
Sensei robotic arm pulling off heart operations in the UK
Although the Sensei robot at St. Mary's Hospital in London may just be "one of four in the world," it certainly joins a packed crowd of mechanical colleagues that have been doing this whole "operation" bit for quite some time. As with most similar alternatives, this one operates (quite literally, actually) by responding to a human surgeon's input given via joystick, and the arm is then able to maneuver into more delicate and hard-to-reach locales in order to execute catheter ablation procedures. In the future, however, the Atari-lovin' doctor could be left out of the process entirely, as an automated edition could eventually be programmed to find its own way to the target without any human intervention. Med school graduates losing residency positions to metallic counterparts -- what is the world coming to?
UK canine equipped with prosthetic paw
Although we've certainly come across prosthetics with names similar to that of a fun-loving canine, we don't believe we've ever seen a pup actually become the receipiant of one. Nevertheless, the Surrey-based Belgian Shepherd (named Storm) had to undergo a leg amputation due to an agreesive tumor, but rather than allowing it to live out its life minus a limb, Noel Fitzpatrick decided to operate further. Now, Storm has reportedly become the "world's first pet to be fitted with a prosthetic paw," and moreover, the device has actually been installed in a manner that will allow skin to "grow into the metal." Best of all, the veterianarian hopes that "it will act as a model for human amputees," and if this approach gains traction, it could provide hope for humans in the future "without feet or hands."[Via Shiny Shiny]
neuroArm gives surgeons extra dexterity, sense of touch
Considering that a BSOD within the robotic surgeon that's halfway through a critical operation on your innards is far from ideal, we're certainly in agreement with companies looking to make actual human doctors even better at their work. A team of Canadian scientists and engineers have concocted the neuroArm robot to allow doctors to perform microscopic operations on the brain in a more precise manner. Essentially, the uber-steady bot "will let doctors use surgical techniques on afflictions such as brain tumors that human surgeons are simply not dexterous enough to do," and when combined with a touchscreen stereoscopic viewer, it enables MDs to better visualize the area they're working with through advanced depth perception and "3D-like" imagery. The neuroArm system should hit clinical testing sometime within the next month or so, and if all goes smoothly (ahem), the long-term goal involves "manufacturing different versions" and selling them to a variety of hospitals.
Intelligent micro-drill carefully delves through tissue
While the idea of a robotic surgeon always makes us a bit weary, a new micro-drill crafted in the UK is earning its stripes (and the public's trust) the old fashioned way: by executing its duties without harming someone. The intelligent medical drill was developed by Peter Brett and colleagues at the University of Aston and David Proops, a surgeon at University Hospital Birmingham, and is "used to bore small holes in the side of a patient's head so that a surgeon can install an implant." Aside from being just slightly creeped out at that imagery, a surgical device that has worked perfectly in three actual operations demands respect, as the device has successfully allowed doctors to "give profoundly deaf patients cochlear implants." This device stands out due to its uncanny ability to sense pressure, torque, and force, and can automatically shut down if it feels it's going to pierce a membrane that shouldn't be punctured -- and for all you fellows who greatly prefer your hair over just about anything, we're sure the implant industry is already checking into it.[Via NewScientistTech]
Verizon to merge with FairPoint in New England, Midwestern states
For you lucky folks in New England who just got access to Verizon's 50Mbps FiOS services, you didn't think those hefty upgrades were sans a cost, did ya? Sure, Verizon's socking it to the high-end customers on that monthly bill, but the huge implementation costs ($18 billion, to be exact) of running all that fiber has persuaded Verizon to "sell the New England landline business as well as lines in several Midwestern states" to get a whopping $1.7 billion in debt wiped from its slate. The purpose of the merger is to free up assets to continue full speed ahead with its extremely costly FiOS rollouts, and since Verizon is intelligently targeting the largest markets (read: most lucrative) first, it's leaving the rural spots for FairPoint to handle. Nearly 3,000 Verizon employees will now be receiving checks from the Charlotte, NC-based FairPoint, with about 600 more expected to switch after the deal is completed. Additionally, shareholders will receive $1 billion of FairPoint common stock in the merger, as both companies attempt to keep everyone smiling throughout the process. If everything goes as planned, which typically never happens in these type deals, the merge will be complete "by year's end," so if you're content with Verizon services up in New England or the Midwest, don't be alarmed if "some FairPoint bill" starts showing up in your mail. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]
Apple drops plans for India support center
Apple has dropped its plans for bolstering off-shore support in India and other countries. MacNN is reporting that the company hasn't been very forthcoming with a reason, but they have laid off all 30 of the employees hired under the subsidiary which would run these Indian support operations, Apple Services India Pvt Ltd (fortunately, the employees received two month's severance pay).This is good news, as I've never heard wonderful things about a company's customer support ratings when they make a move like this. Dell's tanked when they tried it, and last I heard they shut the facility down and moved most of their support operations back to the US. Kudos to Apple for taking a hint from others' mistakes.
Trauma Center 2 for Wii launch window
Encouraging gamers to slice people open with a scalpel and prod at their various internal organs, Trauma Center: Second Opinion (cool title!) clearly fits in well with Nintendo's all-inclusive family strategy for the Wii. Okay, so it's a sequel to last year's DS doctor sim, Trauma Center: Under the Knife, meaning that you're generally gutting people for their own good. I managed to track down Tomm Hulett of Atlus USA and, after threatening him sufficiently, managed to extract the following information: The game should be released within the Wii's "launch window" (i.e. before the end of the year). Two playable characters will be available, each one following a different path in the story. Unlike Derek (the original game's main character), the new doctor will not possess the "Healing Touch", instead boasting some other, sure to be wacky power. The game was almost called Trauma Center: Relapse. Thanks to the wiimote, Second Opinion will be much more intricate than the DS version and allow you to use more surgical tools. The nunchuck analog stick is used for selecting tools. The game will not be fully voice-acted. Only a couple of voice samples will be matched to on-screen text, much like the Legend of Zelda titles. Tomm hinted that you'd be able to use the wiimote and nunchuck as a defibrilator. Speaking of which, the Atlus meeting rooms just happened to be situated right next to the wall mounted defibrilator pictured to the right. Must be one for the fanboys.
