Wearable Robotic System Gives Surgeons Ability to 'Sense' and 'See'

A team of researchers led by the University of the West of England are developing a wearable robotic system for minimally invasive surgery that will offer surgeons dexterous movement as well as the ability to 'sense', 'see', and safely navigate through the surgical environment. Called SMARTsurg (SMart WearAble Robotic Teleoperated surgery), three key pieces of hardware will be the starting points in developing the new surgical robotic system. Exoskeletons will fit over the surgeon's hands, which will control the instruments inside the body - a newly developed surgical 'gripper' which mimics the thumb and two fingers of the hand. The instrument, which goes inside the body, will have haptic abilities, allowing the surgeon to 'feel' the tissues and organs inside the body. In addition, smart glasses will enable the surgeon to have a realistic view of what is taking place inside the body while using the advanced robotic tools developed.