LONDON (Reuters Health) - No need to worry any longer about the surgeon's hand
shaking during delicate brain surgery--intelligent robots are set to take
over.
The nerve-tingling prospect was put forward by UK-based Armstrong Healthcare
Ltd., which claims to have developed the world's first intelligent robot for
image-guided surgery.
Unveiling its ``PathFinder'' robot at a news conference in London, the firm
said it would provide surgeons with a way of guiding instruments very
precisely to the chosen site of the brain with minimal damage to surrounding
tissue.
Potential uses included the treatment of brain tumours, Parkinson's disease
(news - web sites), epilepsy and even new techniques of stem cell replacement
therapy.
``PathFinder is the first robot with the intelligence to map-read a patient's
skull from a scanner image,'' said Patrick Finlay, managing director. ``It is
designed to provide the neurosurgeon with a precision positioning device which
is safe and simple to use in increasingly complex procedures.''
In a news release, the firm explained that the surgeon instructs the robot by
making a target and an approach path on the patient's scan. The robot carries
a camera that automatically matches the scanner image to the position of the
patient's head on the operating table. The surgeon makes a tiny hole at the
entry point in the skull, and the robot then gently advances an instrument
through the hole to the chosen target.
Armstrong said that the robot was about to start a programme of clinical
trials at Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham. Following extensive testing and
regulatory approval, it would shortly be used on patients.
Paul Byrnes, consultant neurosugeon at Queen's Medical Centre said, ``This
development is a step forward in surgery, and should make difficult operations
easier to bear. It should improve the prospects of treatment for certain
categories of patients, and I am looking forward to evaluating it.''
------------------------------
Useless hypotheses, etc.:
consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind, free will, qualia,
analog computing, cultural relativism, GAC, Cyc, Eliza, cryonics, individual
uniqueness, ego
Everything that can happen has already happened, not just once,
but an infinite number of times, and will continue to do so forever.
(Everything that can happen = more than anyone can imagine.)
We won't move into a better future until we debunk religiosity, the most
regressive force now operating in society.
http://www.shasta.com/jr
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/virtropy
http://www.kartoo.com/cgi-bin/k.cgi?q=virtropy&l=0&m=1
http://www.quicktopic.com/8/H/YvBf8Dggsf8U3
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