Engineers and surgeons collaborate

A day conference at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on 14 November 2000 brought together engineers engaged in development of robotic aids, and surgeons, some of whom are currently using robotic assistance in their work. The meeting provided a valuable opportunity for sharing of experience. Chairman of the event was Dr Patrick Finlay, who, as founder of Armstrong Healthcare, has been a pioneer in the development of medical robotics. Dr Finlay himself spoke about the Pathfinder image‐guided robot for neurosurgery. The aim of this is to free the surgeon and patient from the rigid stereotactic frame which has been necessary to secure the required 1mm precision of positioning for a tool tip. Mr Rory McCloy described his use of robots in laparoscopic surgery. A delicate drilling operation on flexible bone tissue in the ear was described by Professor Peter Brett, and among other presentations were three relating to 3D image capture for surgery.