EU-funded researchers from Germany, Italy, Israel and the UK have developed a new type of robot that could change the way we think about surgical robots. Named the ROBOCAST project, it promises to give robots the ability to perform procedures that human surgeons cannot.

The key to this breakthrough is that the ROBOCAST, with its13 degrees of freedom (types of movement) compared to the four that human hands have, will give the surgeon the ability to guide the robot through a curved path from an entry point in the skull to the targeted lesion, a feat unable to be accomplished with a human hand.

In addition, ROBOCAST uses haptic feedback, which allows surgeons to assess tissue and determine the amount of force that should be applied during surgery.

The ROBOCAST is also autonomous. Using diagnostic information from the patient, the robot is able to autonomously perform the operation at hand, with the guidance of the surgeon.  It proposes the most efficient, risk-free path for the procedure, which the surgeon can either accept or reject.

Unlike other surgical robots, the ROBOCAST is not just acting as a substitute for a human but, rather, is able to perform a procedure that otherwise would not be able to be accomplished.  This fact will surely make it more valuable to the surgeons and patients alike.