Robotics technologies are not only being utilized to encourage your jogging habits or stop Chinese street crime. Robotics technologies are now being used in Israel to conduct brain surgeries and the initial phases of testing have been major successes. (Israel continues to be a world leader in medical innovation.)
The technology was developed by Mazor Robotics.
Israel continues to be a global center of innovation in the fields of medicine and technology. On June 11, 2012, Mazor Robotics announced that its robotic guidance technology was successfully used in the first ever robot-guided brain surgical procedures. The surgeries were conducted at HSK Hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Neurosurgeons Dr. In-Se Kim and Prof. Robert Schönmayr performed these first three brain surgeries using Mazor Robotics technology after the hospital had great success using the Israeli company’s products for robotically guided spinal surgeries. “As one of the first medical centers globally to adopt robotic technology for spine surgeries, we are very proud to also be the first to expand its use to brain surgeries,” said Prof. Schönmayr.
Wide spread use of robotic guidance technologies for brain surgeries hasn’t yet been approved in either Europe or the United States, where it’s in a testing phase. Regulatory approval for the brain application of the robotic guidance technology is pending and Mazor hopes to be able to market the brain application early in 2013.
It is coming to a surgeon near you!
HumanWrit.es, a Cape Town-based social innovation start-up, are selling their Writable product in an attempt to help education disenfranchised students throughout the region. For every Writable sold they’ll be performing their good deed for the day.
For each copy of the Writable sold, HumanWrit.es will donate 10 books to needy schools, under the catchphrase “Changing the world, one wee, square notebook at a time”.
The books for the first print run of the Writable are Xhosa exercise books, destined for Khayelitsha learners, that will include tools for reading and writing in both Xhosa and English, drawing and colouring, basic maths, a typing tool to encourage early familiarisation with computers, and dotted pages for free thinking, writing and drawing.
It’s an innovative, unique product being sold for the benefit of those in need. Sometimes it’s a please to promote such things.