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Dr. Mordrid
By CHUCK BROWN
The Associated Press
Wednesday, October 26, 2005; 9:28 PM
OMAHA, Neb. -- Small robots designed by University of Nebraska researchers may allow doctors on Earth to do surgery on patients in space. The tiny, wheeled robots, which are about 3 inches tall and as wide as a lipstick case, can be slipped into small incisions and computer-controlled by surgeons in different locations.
Some robots are equipped with cameras and lights and can send back images to surgeons. Others have surgical tools attached that can be controlled remotely.
"We think this is going to replace open surgery," Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov said at a Wednesday news conference. Oleynikov is a specialist in minimally invasive and computer-assisted surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Next spring, NASA will teach astronauts to use the robots so that surgeries could one day be performed in space. The robots may be also helpful on battlefields, said Shane Farritor, a university engineering professor who helped design them.
The robots could enable surgeons in other places to work on injured soldiers on the front line, Farritor said.
Researchers hope to seek federal regulatory approval early next year. Tests on animals have been successful, Oleynikov said, and tests on humans in England will begin soon.
The camera-carrying robots can provide views of affected areas and the ones with surgical tools will be able to maneuver inside the body in ways surgeons' hands can't, Oleynikov said.
Because several robots can be inserted through one incision, they could reduce the amount and size of cuts needed for surgery, which would decrease recovery time, Oleynikov said.
"We think with robot assist, we can do better than human hands," he said.
The views from the camera-carrying robots are better than the naked eye, Oleynikov said, because they send back color images that are magnified.
A robot capable of doing biopsies is in the works and another is being designed that can be inserted into a person's stomach via the esophagus.
The robots themselves cost about $200,000 each, Farritor said.
Initial plans call for each robot to be used once. Reuse might be possible later.
Eventually, Oleynikov said, the tiny robots may enable surgeons to work without ever placing their hands in patients' bodies.
The Associated Press
Wednesday, October 26, 2005; 9:28 PM
OMAHA, Neb. -- Small robots designed by University of Nebraska researchers may allow doctors on Earth to do surgery on patients in space. The tiny, wheeled robots, which are about 3 inches tall and as wide as a lipstick case, can be slipped into small incisions and computer-controlled by surgeons in different locations.
Some robots are equipped with cameras and lights and can send back images to surgeons. Others have surgical tools attached that can be controlled remotely.
"We think this is going to replace open surgery," Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov said at a Wednesday news conference. Oleynikov is a specialist in minimally invasive and computer-assisted surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Next spring, NASA will teach astronauts to use the robots so that surgeries could one day be performed in space. The robots may be also helpful on battlefields, said Shane Farritor, a university engineering professor who helped design them.
The robots could enable surgeons in other places to work on injured soldiers on the front line, Farritor said.
Researchers hope to seek federal regulatory approval early next year. Tests on animals have been successful, Oleynikov said, and tests on humans in England will begin soon.
The camera-carrying robots can provide views of affected areas and the ones with surgical tools will be able to maneuver inside the body in ways surgeons' hands can't, Oleynikov said.
Because several robots can be inserted through one incision, they could reduce the amount and size of cuts needed for surgery, which would decrease recovery time, Oleynikov said.
"We think with robot assist, we can do better than human hands," he said.
The views from the camera-carrying robots are better than the naked eye, Oleynikov said, because they send back color images that are magnified.
A robot capable of doing biopsies is in the works and another is being designed that can be inserted into a person's stomach via the esophagus.
The robots themselves cost about $200,000 each, Farritor said.
Initial plans call for each robot to be used once. Reuse might be possible later.
Eventually, Oleynikov said, the tiny robots may enable surgeons to work without ever placing their hands in patients' bodies.
Dr. Mordrid