Page 139 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

Medical team prepares neuroArm Surgical System
for use in the operating room.
Surgeons and engineers sought to improve the Image credit: University of Calgary
safety of surgery by merging machine technology
with advanced imaging! “Where the robot entered
my head,” says 21-year-old Paige Nickason, the
first patient to have brain surgery performed by a based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, for development
robot, as she points to an area on her forehead. of the next-generation platform and for wide distribution
“Now that neuroArm has removed the tumor from under the name SYMBIS Surgical System.
my brain, it will go on to help many other people IMRIS, working with MDA, is advancing the design
like me around the world.”
to commercialize minimally invasive brain surgery by
Image credit: University of Calgary adding advanced haptics augmented three-dimensional
(3-D) vision and novel toolset to the system. SYMBIS
has been undergoing calibration, testing and validation
at Dr. Sutherland’s research facility since March
MR-compatible materials—for instance, ceramic
motors—so that operation of the robot would not be 2015. SYMBIS has already received FDA approval
affected by the magnetic field of the MRI or, conversely, for stereotactic biopsy within the bore of the magnet
impact the acquired image quality. In addition, the while real-time magnetic resonance images are being
system included advanced haptics, safety no-go zones,
motion scaling and tremor filter. This innovative team
developed novel ways to control the robot’s maneuvers
and give the operator a sense of touch via an intuitive,
haptic hand-controller located at a remote work station,
which is essential so that the surgeon can precisely
control the robot and can feel the tool-tissue interaction
during surgery. Thus, Health Technology Research
on the ISS provided the innovations necessary for
robotic brain surgery through neuroArm. Capable of
microsurgery and sterreotaxy, this technology is able
to not only introduce disruptive ideas into the operating
room, but also increase the safety of surgery.
Since Paige Nickason’s surgery in 2008, neuroArm has Dr. Garnette Sutherland, with neuroArm, his
been used in initial clinical experiences with 85 patients brainchild, in the 3.0T iMRI suite at Foothills
suffering from various neurosurgical conditions including Medical Centre, Calgary.
brain tumors and vascular malformations. In 2010, the Image credit: Project neuroArm, University
neuroArm technology was licensed to IMRIS Inc., a of Calgary
private, publicly traded medical device manufacturer

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