The TU/e will present the first affordable surgical robot today in Maastricht. The device is five times more accurate than human hands and can help surgeons to attach nerves and blood vessels up to 1 millimetre in diameter.
The robot also corrects the surgeon’s steadiness, therefore allowing more senior doctors to perform longer and more complex surgeries.
The device is also relatively inexpensive; it comes at a price of 300,000 euros. In comparison, the Da Vinci robot, which is also used for operations, costs two million euros.
The Eindhoven researcher, Raimondo Cau, has developed the surgical robot for the University Hospital of Maastricht, but the device may not yet be sold. The robot still has to be tested and approved by medical authorities.
