Automated surgical systems are bulky, have a narrow specialization and cost millions of euros. For these and several reasons, most hospitals prefer to rely on living the doctor’s hand, although the operating robots are no longer a novelty. To remedy the situation, in the company Cambridge Medical Robotics has designed a new robot Versius – analogue of the surgeon’s hands.
A team of hundreds of British scientists and engineers brought together the achievements of laparoscopy computing power of mobile gadgets and mechanical systems for the space industry. In the end, they did what can be called a copy of a human hand, with roughly the same size and freedom of action.
Its purpose is laparoscopic surgery. During such operations the doctor tools are inserted through a tiny hole in the patient’s body. However, when moving inside the body require prohibitive accuracy, so the main option Versius – the ability to constantly measure the impact force on living tissue. The robot is as nimble and sensitive as a surgeon’s hand of a professional, but he did not tremble from fatigue and can work for days on end.
The abundance of automation in Versius need for accuracy of movement, the operation to hold him, no one will – the actions of the robot remotely in control of a live doctor. However, Versius was created as a universal robot, so it can be used in a wide range of operations. The phone is compact and costs at least three times less than existing surgical machines.
Tests robot surgeon Versius will begin in the UK next spring. And if it prove itself well, it will go on sale by the end of 2019.