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Crab Robot Helps Remove Stomach Cancer

Posted by samzenpus on from the under-the-spleen dept.

redletterdave writes "Singaporean researchers have created a miniature robot with a pincer and a hook that can remove early-stage stomach cancers without leaving any scars. Mounted on an endoscope, it enters the patient's gut through the mouth. It has a pincer to hold cancerous tissues, and a hook that slices them off and coagulates blood to stop bleeding. With the help of a tiny camera attached to the endoscope, the surgeon sees what's inside the gut and controls the robotic arms remotely while sitting in front of a monitor screen. The robot has already helped remove early-stage stomach cancers in five patients in Hong Kong and India, using a fraction of the time normally taken in open and keyhole surgeries that put patients at higher risk of infection and leave behind scars."

5 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. Hm... by Mursk · · Score: 5, Funny

    So it's a cancer that removes cancer?

    Yo, dawg...

    --
    "This thing does science so hard, you say, 'I've never seen that much science.'" -Sam
  2. Uh, a robot crab that crawls down your throat? by oodaloop · · Score: 5, Funny

    Welcome to the future! It's creepy, terrifying, and bizarre. And no flying cars.

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    1. Re:Uh, a robot crab that crawls down your throat? by callmetom · · Score: 5, Informative

      Found it

  3. That is not a robot by Catbeller · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That is not a robot. It is a tele-operated tool, related to a waldo (A waldo mimics one's movements precisely - See Heinlein's story Waldo). Call it a waldo, just to keep it simple. For example, a powered suit worn by a person is a very complex waldo.

    A robot is not completely operated by a human. It can be partially so; the Mars rovers are robots that do what they are told, but interpret the commands with their own programming, as they are 45 light minutes away and cannot be controlled directly.

    A robot has it's own "brain". It independently operates in its environment by its own perception and judgement.

    A claw on a stick is not a robot. Words are important. These things have names, and confusing the terminology muddles communication.

  4. Here is a picture of the device by pavon · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Globe and Mail is also running this story and they included a picture of the device, just like every other site that ran the Reuters story. But thank you slashdot for continuing to link to shitty IBT stories, because I had never seen a crab before.