20 April 2007
Microhands – Developments in Micro Surgery
Micro surgery has come to the forfront today with the unveiling of the new “microhand” from UCLA. Chang-Jin Kim developed this uninvasive surgical tool. Kim says “it’s the World’s smallest robotic hand, and could be used to perform microsurgery.” This small hand also is harmless for natural environments due to using gas pressure instead of electricity.
These microhands allow extra dexterity and minimal invasiveness within an area plagued by grippers and tools mounted by rigid aluminium poles, stated Albert Pisano, a mechanical engineer and leader in this type of research. He says that this technology could enable new kinds of minimally invasive surgical techniques, and that it stands out from other such efforts. “The work of Professor Kim is especially noteworthy since he has two pairs of opposing finger/thumb sets and… his design is able to have such an extreme range of motion.
