Heart Surgeons Recruit Slithering Robot

Posted 7 Apr 2008 at 01:53 UTC by Rog-a-matic

Carnegie Mellon's CardioArm is aimed at helping surgeons perform heart surgery using only a single, tiny incision. The system outperforms standard endoscopic tools because it can be programmed to follow the surgeon-directed head automatically. The 102 joints are able to wrap around organs and slither through narrow pathways avoiding delicate tissue. The benefits will be reduced blood loss, decreased pain and shorter hospital stays. Startup Cardiorobotics is perfecting the snake-like robot and has already performed successful surgeries on pigs and human cadavers. The ultimate goal is to miniaturize the system to fit inside of blood vessels.