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Surgery Using A Sunlight Scalpel
Makarand writes "Research conducted by Israeli doctors has shown that it is possible to use
concentrated sunlight instead
of lasers to perform surgery, providing a safe and
low cost alternative to laser treatment.
In their experiments sunlight was transported into the operating room
from outside using a system of optical fibers.
The concentrated rays - containing several watts
of energy - were then used in the experimental surgery conducted
on rats." Here is Wired's similar story.
Just curious - are the lasers a significant cost or are they outweighed by the costs of the people controling and maintaining the laser, and the systems involved in assisting the control (intensity, focus, width etc). Would a consistent light beam be necessary for surgery and if it is, would maintaining the consistency of a sunlight beam be cheaper?
Personally I believe this is just a "party trick".
If you don't have access to a laser, are there compelling reasons to pick the sunlight system over a scalpel system?