Robotic Keyhole Surgery on Pigs

A robot has successfully carried out keyhole surgery on the bowels of pigs mostly autonomously for the first time, which researchers say is a significant step towards human trials. Small parts of human operations are often automated, but they tend to focus on rigid parts of the body that don’t change shape, such as bone. Robots controlled entirely by human surgeons are also becoming more common.

The robot performed the surgery on four pigs, carrying out 86 stitches in total. Two-thirds of the time, the robot placed the stitch autonomously, while the rest of the time it had to be guided into place manually before attempting the stitch again. When the tissues were examined one week after surgery, the results were comparable to those achieved by human surgeons. The operation is particularly sensitive because any leak can cause catastrophic complications.

More information:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2305980-robot-performs-keyhole-surgery-on-pigs-with-little-help-from-doctors/

Boots for Walking in VR

There are several companies working on artificial locomotion technologies. One of them is Ekto One, a robotic movement system based wearable technology company Eckto VR. Made of tough carbon fiber material, the device resembles a pair of futuristic moon boots. When paired with specially designed shoes, users can physically walk, run, duck, and jump in VR regardless of available space.

Each boot is equipped with a pair of Vive Trackers which allow the VR headset to track the wearer’s feet in real-time. As they walk forward, motorized wheels located on the bottom of each boot delicately reposition the wearer back to their original starting location. The wearer is allowed to take several steps forward before the boots are activated so they can better acclimate to their virtual environment.

More information:

https://vrscout.com/news/these-futuristic-moon-boots-let-you-walk-forever-in-vr/

Robots for Taking Care of the Elderly

Robotic assistants could be used in nursing and retirement homes to help seniors care for themselves, assist with cleaning, provide emotional support, connect remotely with health care providers, and free up nurses to focus on patient care. Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have developed a robot on a rolling base with moveable arms. In tests at Washington, DC's Knollwood Military Retirement Community, it entertained residents so staff could focus on resident care.

At the same time, researchers at the University of Southern California are working on robots that can provide social interaction by telling jokes or encouraging older people to read or exercise more, while researchers at Diligent Robotics have developed a rolling robot that can move around a hospital and perform tasks that take nurses away from resident care, such as delivering medicine, equipment, patient samples, or linens.

More information:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00072-z