Inner eye surgeries, typically those in which tumors have to be removed are a risky affair. The inner ear is covered by a cranial bone called the mastoid bone and the surrounding tissue is rich with important nerves and vessels, the damage to which is very probable with the existing technology. The surgeons use a drilling machine which drills linearly i.e., in a straight line which increases the likelihood of nerves and vessel being harmed.
NiLiBoRo, is a German acronym which stands for "Nonlinear Drilling Robot", has been developed by researchers from Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation IPA, in cooperation with the Technical University of Darmstadt, the University of Aachen, and the Dusseldorf University Clinic in Germany.
This instrument can bend corners while drilling a hole as small as 5 mm into the mastoid bone. The bending would reduce the damage caused to the surrounding sensitive tissue of the inner ear.
Also called a robotic worm, this device would provide a new minimally invasive approach for inner ear surgical procedures.
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