Robots May Allow Surgery in Space
Small robots designed by University of Nebraska researchers may allow doctors on Earth to help perform surgery on patients in space.
The tiny, wheeled robots, 31 are about 3 inches tall and as wide as a lipstick case, can be slipped into small incisions (切口) and computer-controlled by surgeons in different locations. Some robots are 32 with cameras and lights and can send images back to surgeons and others have surgical 33 attached that can be controlled remotely.
"We think this is going to 34 open surgery," Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov said at a news conference. Oleynikov is a specialist 35 computer-assisted surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Officials hope that NASA will teach 36 to use the robots soon enough so that surgeries could one day be performed in space.
On earth, the surgeons could 37 the robots themselves from other locations. For example, the robots could 38 surgeons in other places to work on injured soldiers on the front line. Researchers plan to seek federal regulatory (联邦管理局的) 39 early next year. Tests on animals have been successful, and tests on humans in England will begin very soon.
The camera-carrying robots can provide 40 of affected areas and the ones with surgical tools will be able to maneuver (操控) inside the body in ways surgeons" hands can"t. The views from the camera-carrying robots are better than the naked eye, because they send back color images that are magnified (放大). Because several robots can be 41 through one incision, they could reduce the 42 and size of cuts needed for surgery, which would 43 recovery time. This is particularly helpful to those patients who have been debilitated (使虚弱) by long illness.
Eventually, Oleynikov said, the tiny robots may enable surgeons to 44 without ever placing their hands in patients" bodies. "That"s the goal;" Oleynikov said. "It"s getting easier and easier. We can do even more with these 45 "