Robot prototype operating within MRI environment

Metal objects used in surgeries are incompatible with the magnetic field of MRI imaging. To work around this limitation, engineers at the University of Hong Kong have designed a surgical robot which can be used inside an MRI machine for such tasks as taking brain biopsies, tumor ablation or deep brain stimulation. Quoting this piece: the engineers “. . . developed a totally magnetic resonance (“MR”) compatible tele-operated system driven by liquid. It does not generate any EM interference or affect imaging quality even during the robot operation. A manipulator is designed to perform dexterous operation towards the left-and-right brain targets, and the area required for an invasive anchorage is very small. The compact robot design can be accommodated inside a standard MRI head coil for imaging and intervention. Advanced 3-D tracking markers are also developed, which enable fast localization of robot instruments in MRI in real time.”     MORE

Image Credit:  University of Hong Kong