Device Helps Surgeons During Operations.

• Position: Brief Article

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., are developing a robotic tool that allows surgeons manually to control as much of a surgical procedure as they choose and turn the rest over to the robot. The goal is a device that can increase the speed and precision of minimally invasive surgery while reducing the surgeon's level of fatigue. The prototype features two arms that manipulate interchangeable tools for grasping, cutting, retraction, and stitching.

The Endobot keeps the surgeon in touch with the instruments, controlling them manually and with joysticks and pedals. The doctor can position the Endobot's arms precisely, for instance, and then allow them to take over the stitching. One arm holds the flesh in place, while the other stitches, finishing the job in seconds, rather than minutes.

Sunil Singh and John Wen, researchers with the Center for Advanced Technologies and the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering at...