Sofie
The "Surgeon’s Operating Force-feedback Interface Eindhoven" (Sofie) is a surgical robot developed at the Eindhoven University of Technology.
TU/e researcher Linda van den Bedem developed a compact surgical robot (with the Dept. of ME), integrating force feedback to allow the surgeon to feel what s/he is doing. Tactile feedback is provided in the master side joysticks. This counter pressure enables a surgeon to feel exactly what force he applies when making a suture or pushing aside a bit of tissue. Sofie is quite compact, and hence less of an obstacle in the operating theater and above the patient. Its small dimensions come with an added bonus: the slave can be mounted on the operating table. This averts the need of resetting everything when the operating table and the patient are moved or tilted. Further, Sofie makes it possible to approach an organ from different sides and can even operate 'around the corner'.
TU/e researcher Linda van den Bedem developed a compact surgical robot (with the Dept. of ME), integrating force feedback to allow the surgeon to feel what s/he is doing. Tactile feedback is provided in the master side joysticks. This counter pressure enables a surgeon to feel exactly what force he applies when making a suture or pushing aside a bit of tissue. Sofie is quite compact, and hence less of an obstacle in the operating theater and above the patient. Its small dimensions come with an added bonus: the slave can be mounted on the operating table. This averts the need of resetting everything when the operating table and the patient are moved or tilted. Further, Sofie makes it possible to approach an organ from different sides and can even operate 'around the corner'.
Sources: Science Daily, Eindhoven University
Comments