The latest research at a university based in Hong Kong has shown that it has developed a novel surgical robotic system that could give a precise single-incision and natural orifice surgery for outer space. This is expected to minimize surgical trauma and deemed safer than the current robotic systems available for people.
The new system that was developed by researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University has the expertise in making precision instruments in the outer space. Yung Kai Leung, a systems engineer, and professor at the university applies his specialty with an input on robotic surgery by Yeung Chung Kwong from the University of Hong Kong. Kwong is an honorary clinical professor at his university.
According to Science Daily, the research has already developed a robotic system with arms that was driven by internal micro motors. It also has up to ten degrees in terms of freedom of movement.
The research has been tested in three consecutive surgeries. The recent one is an hour-long gall bladder removal from a live pig.
There is only one surgical robotic system that is dominant on the market. The problem with this dominant surgical robotic system is its price and limitations like the lack of tactile feedback, need for multiple incisions, and its bulkiness.
In addition, this dominant surgical robotic system is not designed for a natural orifice or incision-free robotic surgery. The new robotic system could also be inserted into a small, single incision or a natural orifice and could be expanded inside the human body in order to perform different surgical operations.
Driven by custom made micro-motors adjacent to the end effects, the robotic arms are allowed to be operated with high precision and it would provide a helpful feedback to the surgeon on the amount of applied force.
The researchers behind this plan to continue in testing the new robotic system in other animals and cadaver models in some complicated procedures like using a single-incision and natural orifice approach. The team's objective is to apply the new system to various robotic surgeries to humans in the future.
