Extending the Hands of the Endoscopic Surgeon

More precision and less cost for endoscopic surgeries: the tool developed by DistalMotion, a spin-off of the EPFL, will allow surgeons to reproduce their exact movements. The prototype was just released from the lab, and on the 29th of March, the start-up received 130,000 Swiss francs in the final phase of the Venture Kick prize. An extension of the surgeon's fingers: this is how one may sum up the device designed and elaborated by Ricardo Beira throughout his thesis in the robotics laboratory. He created the start-up, DistalMotion, to develop his idea: little joysticks which allow the operation of surgical tools fixed to the end of a metal arm. The goal? To facilitate minimally invasive operations without opening the abdominal wall. Two to three orifices allow for the passage of a small camera and long instruments. This technique is used more and more in urology, gynecology and visceral surgery.