Tarbiat Modares University

For the first time in the world, TMU’s researchers in cooperation with Mobile Tele-Communications Company of Iran managed to design and develop a remote surgical robot with the ability to carry out surgery on the hard human skull. This robot which was designed by Dr. Nader Makari and Dr. Mehdi Oruji, two Faculty Members of Electrical and Computer Engineering School of TMU was displayed at the 19th International Telecom Exhibition of Tehran.

Dr. Mehdi Oruji, Assistant Professor of Medical Engineering, Bioelectronics Department said that this robot could be used for helping the injured in natural disaster areas. He added: “Field studies have shown that more than half of our compatriots who die in remote areas with no access to doctors, suffer from concussion or brain stroke. For these people, it is urgently needed to remove the blood clot created in the brain, a problem which results in death in most cases”. Dr. Oruji continued: “in a recent study, many physicians acknowledged that if the injured could be treated at the site, by cutting a piece of the skull where the blood lies, the pressure from the blood clot can be lifted from the brain and the patient can survive to be dispatched to medical centers”.

"Unfortunately, the lack of such facilities promoted TMU researchers to define a project for the construction of a remote surgical robot by which craniotomy can be performed in emergency situations" he said.

Dr. Oruji said: "The initial robot is a two-arm robot. A piercing arm that creates two holes in the skull, and a cutting arm that cuts the gap between the two holes, a surgeon can remotely control the operation of the robot.

He noted that presently the surgeon can be at most 3 km away from the robot, but in case G5 technology is used, it can be extended to cover large distances.

Referring to the remote surgical robot designed for the first time in the world, he said: "There are remote surgical robots, but all of them are able to perform soft-tissue surgery, such as taking sample from the stomach and intestines, etc but this robot is able to carry out surgery on the hard tissue, i.e. brain and skull, which is unprecedented in the world.

"The robot will be further developed and completed next year and will be installed on a new generation of telecommunications." This robot will be enhanced to pierce and cut the skull and perform more sophisticated surgery, and we hope to commercialize this product by obtaining licenses and standards in the coming years”. He added.