Which technologies will change our lives in the near future? Science journalist Andrea Lauterbach searches for answers to this question in the ARD-alpha-series “On the trail of the future”. In the episode from 18th of June 2019 the biology studies graduate visits the MIRO Innovation Lab at the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). How robots operate in the future, she wanted to know, thus taking a look over the shoulder of scientists and physicians at work. Robots have become indispensable in many fields of surgery. The implications of developments in the next few years and the benefits robotics provides for patients and doctors were the most important topics of the show.

In the course of this visit, scientists and engineers of the MIRO Innovation Lab present the MiroSurge System and the medical robotic arm MIRO. During a procedure, the surgeon can use one or multiple MIRO robots on a flexible and modular basis with different specialised instruments. Ms. Lauterbach herself becomes active and tests the steering of the MIRO robot by means of the console, as well as the intuitive usage of the system directly at the operating table.

A particularly current and interesting application area of this technology is waterjet surgery used for wound cleansing. This method allows more precise and gentle ablation of tissue that is damaged or devitalized by applying an endoscopic waterjet probe. A demonstration of this procedure and the advantages thereof are shown in the video clip, which is now available in the ARD media library.

Link to the Video