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Space Shuttle tech works on brain tumors

The promise is that robotic surgeons like the neuroArm can be more accurate than a surgeon's hands, which is vital in areas like brain surgery.
Written by Dana Blankenhorn, Inactive

neuroArm from neoroarm.orgA robotic surgeon based on military technology has performed its first brain operation in Canada.

The neuroArm was developed as a collaborative effort by the University of Calgary and MacDonald Dettwiler Associates Ltd. (MDA), a Vancouver military contractor whose best known device is Canadarm used on the Space Shuttle.

The device removed a benign brain tumor from Paige Nickason, 21, who suffers from neurofibromatosis, which causes benign tumours to form on nerves. The procedure took about 9 hours.

The promise is that robotic surgeons like the neuroArm can be more accurate than a surgeon's hands, which is vital in areas like brain surgery. MDA also hopes the spin-off will be profitable.

On a day when brain surgery is in the news it's nice to know it's getting better.

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