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A robotic brain surgeon has begun clinical trials at Queen’s Medical Centre
in Nottingham. The PathFinder—which looks like a one-armed industrial
robot—is designed to take biopsies of brain tumours or implant electrodes
to control the tremors associated with Parkinson’s disease. A surgeon first
marks digital X-ray images of the patient’s head, to show where the biopsy needs
to be taken from and the best entry point for a needle. The robot then moves the
surgical tools with great precision to the right spot. This means patients don’t
need to have a metal cage screwed to their skull to give human surgeons accurate
reference points.