Scientists have presented a prototype of a smart scalpel that opens up opportunities for creating automated surgical devices. Tests have shown that it helps medical students cope with tasks at the level of experienced doctors.
A team from the University of Edinburgh has presented a prototype of a smart scalpel with built-in touch sensors to measure the force of pressure. The device uses artificial intelligence to control tissue dissection and prevent damage.
At the first stage, the scalpel was tested on students who do not yet have well-honed surgical skills. The results were compared with the actions of experienced neurosurgeons and plastic surgeons. The participants made a series of incisions on a multilayer replica of human skin made of silicone and gelatin. The operation imitated a skin incision to remove melanoma.
The experiments showed that using a scalpel allowed the students to do a good job.
“This system can be used to train future doctors and could also lead to the creation of automated devices for use by surgical teams,” said Ram Ramamurthy, author of the paper. Eventually, such technologies will form the basis of fully robotic devices.
For example, other scientists have previously shown a robotic system that allows one doctor to do the work of three surgeons.
