title: Neurosurgical robot Minerva: first results and current developments.
abstract: We describe the development and approach to clinical application of the neurosurgical robot Minerva, including the mechanical structure of the robot and the software developed to perform intracranial neurosurgical operations with accuracy, smoothness, and safety. The first eight operations have been undertaken on patients requiring stereotactic brain biopsy. We describe the ongoing developments, including improved sterilization features, force sensors, nonlinear electrostimulation probe, and implantation of living encapsulated cells, all of which have entered a test phase. The goals are increased safety and capability to perform simple three-dimensional operations. This research should ease the way for new complex operations that are difficult to perform manually today.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, Switzerland. glauser@imt.dmt.epfl.ch
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Glauser
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fankhauser
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Epitaux
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hefti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaccottet
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006801:Humans; D009493:Neurosurgery; D012371:Robotics; D012984:Software; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted