Next to hearing your dentist mutter “oops,” is there anything more disconcerting than hearing your surgeon say it?
Perhaps not. But a new type of robot, developed by researchers at a pair of Dutch universities and put to work for the first time recently in real-life surgeries, could add some sure-handedness in future operating rooms.
“Supermicrosurgery” — a demanding technique involving incisions measuring fractions of a millimeter — “is limited by the precision and dexterity of the surgeon’s hands,” a group of researchers write in a Nature Communications article, published Tuesday and outlining the impact of the new surgical bot.
“Robot assistance,” the authors noted, “can help overcome these human limitations, thereby enabling a breakthrough in supermicrosurgery.”
Employing robots in the operating room isn’t new. The report’s authors note that surgeons lately have grown familiar with a robotic device designed for minimally invasive endoscopic procedures. But that robot has limitations ...
