Project neuroArm

University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
What the facility does

Image-guided robotics surgery

Areas of expertise

The neuroArm is an MRI-compatible, image-guided, computer-assisted device specifically designed for neurosurgery. It is the first such robot for microsurgery and stereotaxy and will enhance the accuracy and safety of brain surgery. It is also the only robot in the world that can work on a patient inside an MRI. Located at the University of Calgary and Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, the surgical robotic system harnesses the precision and accuracy of robotics with the executive decision-making capacity of the human mind. When paired with the 3.0T intraoperative MRI 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 one another.

Research services
  • Image-guided robotic system integrated into surgery
  • Haptics research laboratory
  • Advanced engineering prototyping lab
  • Experimental operating room with robotic system
  • Connectivity through teleconferencing
Sectors of application
  • Healthcare and social services
  • Life sciences, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment

Equipment

Function

neuroArm image-guided robot

 

Second-generation of the robot (SYMBIS)

 

Various state-of-the-art haptic hand controllers

 

Kuka KR-6 industrial robot

 

Denso robot

 

Objet500 Connex 3D printer

 

Multiple virtual-reality workstations

 

CyberGlove

For haptic sensation on fingers
CyberGrasp For haptic sensation on fingers

Machine shop

 

Experimental operating room for training and design

 

Apple cluster for computational power needed for surgical simulation

 

Holografika

Real 3D display

Teleconferencing/telementoring facility

 

Confocal microscope

For tumour-edge definition
  • Quanser
  • IMRIS
  • MacDonald/Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.