This laser-steering microrobot could refine minimally invasive surgeries
Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University.
Robotic engineers from Harvard’s Wyss Institute and John A. Paulson School for Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) have developed a laser-steering microrobot that can be integrated with existing endoscopic tools, which are used in minimally invasive surgeries.
The ends of endoscopic tools must be highly flexible to enable visualization and manipulation of the surgical site in the target tissue.
In the case of energy-delivering endoscopic tools, which allow surgeons to cut or dry tissues and stop internal bleeds, a heat-generating energy source is added to the end of the device.
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Members of Congress got the coronavirus even though theyâd been vaccinated. Experts explain how that happened
By Martin Finucane Globe Staff,Updated January 13, 2021, 4:00 p.m.
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Democrats Bonnie Watson Coleman (left), Pramila Jayapal, and Brad Schneider had all just received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
At least three members of Congress have tested positive for the coronavirus after sheltering in a secure location with other members of Congress during the mob attack on the Capitol last week.
Democrats Bonnie Watson Coleman, Pramila Jayapal, and Brad Schneider had all just received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine prior to their exposure to the virus.
Robotic engineers from Harvard’s Wyss Institute and John A. Paulson School for Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) have developed a laser-steering microrobot that can be integrated with existing endoscopic tools, which are used in minimally invasive surgeries. Their approach was reported in Science Robotics.
The ends of endoscopic tools must be highly flexible to enable visualization and manipulation of the surgical site in the target tissue. In the case of energy-delivering endoscopic tools, which allow surgeons to cut or dry tissues and stop internal bleeds, a heat-generating energy source is added to the end of the device.
Currently available energy sources, delivered via a fiber or electrode, limit surgical precision and can cause unwanted burns in adjacent tissue sections and smoke development. While laser technology would be an attractive solution, the laser beam needs to be precisely steered, positioned and quickly repositioned at the distal end of an endoscope, which c