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NeuroArm is an engineering research
surgical robot Robotic surgery are types of surgical procedures that are done using robotic systems. Robotically assisted surgery was developed to try to overcome the limitations of pre-existing minimally-invasive surgical procedures and to enhance the capabil ...
specifically designed for
neurosurgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and ...
. It is the first image-guided, MR-compatible surgical robot that has the capability to perform both
microsurgery Microsurgery is a general term for surgery requiring an operating microscope. The most obvious developments have been procedures developed to allow anastomosis of successively smaller blood vessels and nerves (typically 1 mm in diameter) wh ...
and
stereotaxy Stereotaxy (from ''stereo'' meaning "solidity", and '' tactile'' meaning "touch") refers to any technique that involves the recording and reproduction of three-dimensional haptic information or creating an illusion of depth to the sense of touch w ...
.
IMRIS IMRIS founded in 2005, IMRIS is a global provider of intraoperative imaging solutions. The company's flagship product is the IMRIS Surgical Theatre. A hybrid operating theatre with intraoperative imaging capabilities, The IMRIS Surgical Theatre ...
, Inc. acquired NeuroArm assets in 2010, and the company is working to develop a next generation of the technology for worldwide commercialization. It will be integrated with the VISIUS(TM) Surgical Theatre under the name SYMBIS(TM) Surgical System.


Design

NeuroArm was designed to be image-guided and can perform procedures inside an
MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio w ...
. NeuroArm includes two remote detachable manipulators on a mobile base, a workstation and a system control cabinet. For biopsy-
stereotaxy Stereotaxy (from ''stereo'' meaning "solidity", and '' tactile'' meaning "touch") refers to any technique that involves the recording and reproduction of three-dimensional haptic information or creating an illusion of depth to the sense of touch w ...
, either the left or right arm is transferred to a stereotactic platform that attaches to the MR bore. The procedure is performed with image-guidance, as MR images are acquired in near real-time. The
end-effector In robotics, an end effector is the device at the end of a robotic arm, designed to interact with the environment. The exact nature of this device depends on the application of the robot. In the strict definition, which originates from serial ro ...
s interface with surgical tools which are based on standard neurosurgical instruments. End-effectors are equipped with three-dimensional force-sensors, providing the sense of touch. The surgeon seated at the workstation controls the robot using force feedback hand controllers. The workstation recreates the sight and sensation of microsurgery by displaying the surgical site and 3D MRI displays, with superimposed tools. NeuroArm enables remote manipulation of the surgical tools from a control room adjacent to the surgical suite. It was designed to function within the environment of 1.5 and 3.0
tesla Tesla most commonly refers to: * Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), a Serbian-American electrical engineer and inventor * Tesla, Inc., an American electric vehicle and clean energy company, formerly Tesla Motors, Inc. * Tesla (unit) (symbol: T), the SI-d ...
intraoperative MRI systems. As neuroArm is MR-compatible, stereotaxy can be performed inside the bore of the magnet with near real-time image guidance. NeuroArm possesses the
dexterity Fine motor skill (or dexterity) is the coordination of small muscles in movement with the eyes, hands and fingers. The complex levels of manual dexterity that humans exhibit can be related to the nervous system. Fine motor skills aid in the grow ...
to perform microsurgery, outside of the MRI system. Telerobotic operations both inside and outside the magnet are performed using specialized tool sets based on standard neurosurgical instruments, adapted to the end effectors. Using these, NeuroArm is able to cut and manipulate soft tissue, dissect tissue planes, suture, biopsy, electrocauterize, aspirate and irrigate.


History

The project began in 2002 when
Daryl Darryl is an English name, a variant spelling of Darell. Male variations of this name include: Darlin, Daryl, Darrell, Darryl, Daryll, Darryll, Darrell, Darrel. Female and unisex variations of this name include: Daryl, Darian, Dareen, Darelle ...
, B.J., and Don Seaman provided $2 million to fund the design efforts. Dr. Sutherland and his group established a collaboration with the Canadian space engineering company MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA). Close collaboration between MDA's robotic engineers and University of Calgary physicians, nurses, and scientists contributed to the design and development of NeuroArm. Official launch of the project was on April 17, 2007. NeuroArm was designed to take full advantage of the imaging environment provided by intraoperative MRI. The ability to couple near real-time, high resolution images to robotic technologies provides the surgeon with image guidance, precision, accuracy, and dexterity. MDA's engineers were immersed in the operating room to study typical tool and surgeon motions in order to use biomimicry for effective design of the computer-assisted surgical device. The OR environment, personnel, surgical rhythm and instrumentation remain unchanged. The surgeon, sitting at the workstation, is provided a virtual environment that recreates the sight, sound, and touch of surgery. Functions like tremor filtering and motion scaling were applied to increase precision and accuracy while functions like no-go zones and linear lock were applied to enhance safety. Surgical tools near the patient's head are incapable of fully independent movement and are slaved to the surgeon’s movement at all times. Pre-planned automatic motions are used to move the robot arms away from the patient's head for manual tool exchange, and then return them to the original position and orientation. On May 12, 2008, the first image-guided MR-compatible robotic neurosurgical procedure was performed at
University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being inst ...
by Dr. Garnette Sutherland using the NeuroArm.. www.ucalgary.ca (16 May 2008). Retrieved 14 November 2012.


References

{{Reflist, 2


External links


Project neuroArmSeaman Family MR Research CentreSYMBIS Homepage on IMRIS Website


Videos


Video in press release for NeuroArm unveiling
University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being inst ...
, April 17, 2007


Related patents


Canadian Patent 2246369 Surgical procedure with magnetic resonance imaging
* ttp://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT5735278 US Patent 5,735,278 (at Google) Surgical procedure with magnetic resonance imaging Neurosurgery Surgical robots Biomedical engineering