The futuristic robot that probes brains in Ender’s Game is
no futuristic fantasy. The real-life machine, known as the Raven II surgical
system, was built at the University of Washington and has already been used in
brain tumor operations.
The operating room where modern brain surgeries take place
seems to be destined to become as technologically advanced any datacenter or
laboratory. Sure, one could find more robots in a microfab or a Tesla plant,
but the modern neurosurgical theater features the most improbable and
perplexing convergence of technology found in any real estate in existence.
Even the areas adjacent to the main operating room are
increasingly kitted-out with fantastic auxiliary equipment, like high-tech
tomographic scanners, MRIs strong enough to lift a tank, 3D-printed skull
parts, or machines to dispense perfectly-thawed replacement fluids. But until
the Raven II, the only really complicated devices to actually enter the skull
were the doctor’s fingers. There is still no beating human manipulators for
accuracy and flexibility, but their bulk and susceptibility to fatigue is now
increasingly felt as brain procedures become more complex.
The Da Vinci surgical device is perhaps the best known tele-operated
surgical robot in use today. It has now logged a significant amount of flight
time in the OR, and has accordingly had its share of crashes. Like the
technological wonder that is the iPhone, the Da Vinci is also rather expensive,
completely closed source, and makes quite a spectacle of itself when it fails.
The creators of the Raven II intend to draw upon a larger contributing base of
developers to make a more flexible and customizable, platform.
One concern is that like the recently developed robot
phlebotomist the Raven II still lacks degrees of freedom where it would matter
most — at the head. Like the Da Vinci, these robots are still basically
cleaned-up industrial robots with long probes and maybe some provision at the
end to hold a single-action tool. What is really needed is more of a snake-like
probe tip that has fine joints that can bend and wiggle at points inside the
skull. Without that, these devices can not really hope to replace the hand for
critical cutting and cauterizing moves.
There is still plenty that these devices can do in the
meantime beyond just holding lights, irrigating tissue, or tractioning the
errant lobe. The equivalent of arthroscopic surgery for the brain is something
that could potentially be of use for simple procedures. It is important to note
though, that many of the most complex brain operations have a huge exploratory
component to them — searching for tumor margins, or for “non-mission-critical”
regions that can be excised to thwart seizure. Generally I would imagine that
for now, surgeons, and their patients, would prefer to directly see what they
are doing on, around, and inside of the brain.
0 comments:
Speak up your mind
Tell us what you're thinking... !