Remote-controlled microrobots are now available for surgeries

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Scientists worldwide have been looking at ways to treat various diseases using miniature robots over the last few years. These robots would be able to replace complicated and invasive surgeries such as opening up clogged arteries or delivering medicine to specific locations in the body.
A scientist from EPFL named Selman Sakar along with Bradley Nelson and Hen-Wei Huang from ETHZ worked together to create a method to build these robots, which are equipped with advanced features. At the same time they also developed a testing platform for multiple designs and examined various types of locomotion. As a result they were able to put together microrobots that were both complex and reconfigurable. The manipulation platform was also built to control the robots remotely through electromagnetic fields and allow them to shift their shapes by using heat.
These robots don’t run on motors, and are soft and flexible since they have been made with magnetic nanoparticles and biocompatible hydrogel. The nanoparticles make the microrobots swim and move during the application of an electromagnetic field and also give them their particular shape when they are being manufactured.

http://sciencenewsjournal.com/remote-controlled-microrobots-now-available-surgeries/

 

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One in three surgeries will use robots within the next five years

Robots are set to take over the operating room in the coming years, as experts predict that robots will be involved in one of every three surgeries conducted in the United States within the next five years.
Robot manufacturers will also look to expand the use of robotics in surgery in India, China, and other emerging markets.
The robotics market for surgical applications has been dominated by Intuitive Surgical, which has more than 3,600 of its da Vinci surgical robots deployed in hospitals across the globe. In 2015, Intuitive Surgical’s robots were used in over 670,000 surgeries. The robots are most commonly used in hernia repairs, bariatric surgery, hysterectomies, and prostate removals.

http://www.businessinsider.com/one-...-use-robots-within-the-next-five-years-2016-8