The human body is formed from a compilation of pulp, fibre and approximately 70% of water. Atop of the lot is the brain – the “wetware” that serves us as an operating system.
The brain has memory, it processes sound, taste and vision, and it contains the drivers to operate our mechanical parts.
In a relatively small space for its power, and although it is protected by the cranium, it can malfunction as the result of an injury, shock or a virus. In the case of overload it can also crash and freeze – and when our body parts begin to jitter and our senses go awry, it's time to power it down and reboot later.
The human brain consists of several compartments, each of which serves a particular function, but being small and compact, the boundaries between each are narrow.
Many neurological disorders such as tumors, bleeding or hydrocephalus (generally known as water on the brain), can be addressed with surgery but the process of brain surgery (Neurosurgery) is especially delicate. The margins for operation are small and the potential danger of crossing a boundary and the consequences of accidently doing so are very serious.
Beginning with a craniotomy, a process in which an opening is made in the skull, allows the surgeon to remove abnormal growths, or repair problems. Typically, brain surgery requires three to seven days of hospitalization but in many cases a neurological disorder can be corrected and the patient’s quality of life can be restored.
The benefits displayed by patients as the result of surgery pose the question of how the process could be enhanced by the application of technology and whether a robot could embody the precision and dexterity of the human hand without compromising a surgical technique.
And how a machine with cameras, motors and actuators could be made from non-ferromagnetic materials in order that it would not adversely affect the images? Would the machine be capable of being integrated into surgical procedures with minimal disruption to the traditional workflow?
Such questions pose several unique engineering obstacles to overcome but in 2002, Dr. Garnette Sutherland and his team at the University of Calgary, together with engineers at Macdonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) took up the challenge.
“Project neuroArm” began from an idea. How can surgery be made safer? What will it take to create an optimal outcome for every neurosurgical patient? To begin, a high resolution imaging system would be required in the operating room so, in 1997, the intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) project was established.
The goal was to bring a high field MRI system into the operating room for the first time. Believing that keeping the patient stationary while moving the MRI would be safer than moving the patient to the machine, Dr. Sutherland and a team from the National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics in Winnipeg ventured to create the world’s first movable high field magnet.
The introduction of MRI to the OR presented a disruption to the rhythm of surgery. Surgery had to be paused while real-time images of the patient’s brain were being acquired. It was at this time that Dr. Sutherland asked the question, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could continue to operate while images are being taken in the bore of the magnet?”
The project, through preliminary design review, critical design review and various requirements documents, found creative solutions to each of the challenges presented. Using haptic control mechanisms, piezoelectric motors, semi-automated tool exchange protocols and communications technologies were developed and in 2006, a patent for the invention was filed and in 2007 the filing was approved.
There are now six additional patents pending and, to a large extent, neuroArm is related to the International Space Station Canadarm since both are products of MDA.
On April 13, 2007, the neuroArm was officially unveiled to the world and during the following year, project neuroArm undertook the extensive work required to make the robotic system available for use on human patients. Tests of the system’s interaction with the iMRI system, developing appropriate sterile drapes, experimental use of the robot on models and animals, in addition to regulatory approvals from the University of Calgary ethics board and Health Canada’s Therapeutic Products Directorate, had to be undertaken.
Since 2008, neuroArm has been undergoing modifications to better pair it with an advance in iMRI systems. As the MR system was changed from locally shielded to a room-shielded system, this necessitated a complete renovation to the iMRI operating room, a change that also necessitated some major modifications to the robot.
As a result, the project has created the first image-guided MR-compatible robot for microsurgery and stereotaxy (a technique that involves the recording and reproduction of three-dimensional haptic information or creating an illusion of depth to the sense of touch within an otherwise-flat surface).
Located at the University of Calgary and Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, the surgical robotic system promises to harness the precision and accuracy of robotics with the executive decision-making capacity of the human mind.
When paired with an intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging system, the surgeon is able to see, in near real time, the status of the lesion, the brain and the location of surgical tools in relationship to it.
Mark Sunderland is President of Ottawa-based BioMedical Industry Group ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
In a relatively small space for its power, and although it is protected by the cranium, it can malfunction as the result of an injury, shock or a virus. In the case of overload it can also crash and freeze – and when our body parts begin to jitter and our senses go awry, it's time to power it down and reboot later.
The human brain consists of several compartments, each of which serves a particular function, but being small and compact, the boundaries between each are narrow.
Many neurological disorders such as tumors, bleeding or hydrocephalus (generally known as water on the brain), can be addressed with surgery but the process of brain surgery (Neurosurgery) is especially delicate. The margins for operation are small and the potential danger of crossing a boundary and the consequences of accidently doing so are very serious.
Beginning with a craniotomy, a process in which an opening is made in the skull, allows the surgeon to remove abnormal growths, or repair problems. Typically, brain surgery requires three to seven days of hospitalization but in many cases a neurological disorder can be corrected and the patient’s quality of life can be restored.
The benefits displayed by patients as the result of surgery pose the question of how the process could be enhanced by the application of technology and whether a robot could embody the precision and dexterity of the human hand without compromising a surgical technique.
And how a machine with cameras, motors and actuators could be made from non-ferromagnetic materials in order that it would not adversely affect the images? Would the machine be capable of being integrated into surgical procedures with minimal disruption to the traditional workflow?
Such questions pose several unique engineering obstacles to overcome but in 2002, Dr. Garnette Sutherland and his team at the University of Calgary, together with engineers at Macdonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) took up the challenge.
“Project neuroArm” began from an idea. How can surgery be made safer? What will it take to create an optimal outcome for every neurosurgical patient? To begin, a high resolution imaging system would be required in the operating room so, in 1997, the intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) project was established.
The goal was to bring a high field MRI system into the operating room for the first time. Believing that keeping the patient stationary while moving the MRI would be safer than moving the patient to the machine, Dr. Sutherland and a team from the National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics in Winnipeg ventured to create the world’s first movable high field magnet.
The introduction of MRI to the OR presented a disruption to the rhythm of surgery. Surgery had to be paused while real-time images of the patient’s brain were being acquired. It was at this time that Dr. Sutherland asked the question, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could continue to operate while images are being taken in the bore of the magnet?”
The project, through preliminary design review, critical design review and various requirements documents, found creative solutions to each of the challenges presented. Using haptic control mechanisms, piezoelectric motors, semi-automated tool exchange protocols and communications technologies were developed and in 2006, a patent for the invention was filed and in 2007 the filing was approved.
There are now six additional patents pending and, to a large extent, neuroArm is related to the International Space Station Canadarm since both are products of MDA.
On April 13, 2007, the neuroArm was officially unveiled to the world and during the following year, project neuroArm undertook the extensive work required to make the robotic system available for use on human patients. Tests of the system’s interaction with the iMRI system, developing appropriate sterile drapes, experimental use of the robot on models and animals, in addition to regulatory approvals from the University of Calgary ethics board and Health Canada’s Therapeutic Products Directorate, had to be undertaken.
Since 2008, neuroArm has been undergoing modifications to better pair it with an advance in iMRI systems. As the MR system was changed from locally shielded to a room-shielded system, this necessitated a complete renovation to the iMRI operating room, a change that also necessitated some major modifications to the robot.
As a result, the project has created the first image-guided MR-compatible robot for microsurgery and stereotaxy (a technique that involves the recording and reproduction of three-dimensional haptic information or creating an illusion of depth to the sense of touch within an otherwise-flat surface).
Located at the University of Calgary and Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, the surgical robotic system promises to harness the precision and accuracy of robotics with the executive decision-making capacity of the human mind.
When paired with an intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging system, the surgeon is able to see, in near real time, the status of the lesion, the brain and the location of surgical tools in relationship to it.
Mark Sunderland is President of Ottawa-based BioMedical Industry Group ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
Mark Sunderland
Medical Engineering Columnist: Electrical engineer and president, Biomedical Industry Group.
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