Robots Will Get to Perform Eye Surgery Soon

People will probably feel a bit wary of any machine handling their eyes, or any other body part, but a researcher from the Netherland's University of Technology thinks robots, or the particular robot he made, will assist with such things very well.

Researcher Thijs Meenink at TU/e said that the new eye surgery robot is meant to keep the medic's hands perfectly steady.

The automaton's arms can be controlled with two joysticks and, for the most part, makes sure the needle goes in the exact same entry point every time.

The main benefit is that eye damage is at very small risk (at worst) and, coupled with the ability to quickly switch tools, the robot could be a very useful assistant.

For those interested in exactly how this is made possible, the surgeon's movements are scaled down, so that each centimeter of joystick motion is translated into a millimeter at the tip of the needle, or whatever instrument is being deployed at the time.

"When ophthalmologists start operating they are usually already at an advanced stage in their careers," says researcher Thijs Meenink at TU/e .

"But at a later age it becomes increasingly difficult to perform these intricate procedures. The new system can simply filter-out hand tremors, which significantly increases the effective working period of the ophthalmologist.”

The new piece of equipment has already begun to draw the attention of prospective adopters, such as Ophthalmologist prof.dr. Marc de Smet (AMC Amsterdam), one of Meenink’s PhD supervisors.

“Robotic eye surgery is the next step in the evolution of microsurgery in ophthalmology, and will lead to the development of new and more precise procedures,” he said.

The robot arms of the contraption have a thickness of 0.5 millimeters and include forceps, surgical scissors and drains. Go here for the full description of the invention.