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It's not rocket science — but it is brain surgery.

Wait a minute, it's a bit of both.

On Tuesday researchers at the University of Calgary unveiled the NeuroArm — a new surgical robot they developed with help from the people who built the Canadarm for NASA's space shuttles.

This robot bears little resemblance to R2-D2 from Star Wars fame but it does come with high-definition cameras and bright lights. It also has two arms that wield operating tools with the skill of a surgeon.

In a demonstration for journalists, a white Styrofoam head was placed on the operating table to simulate a patient. In the room next door, an operator, peering into what appeared to be a microscope, operated the robot's controls. The tiny tools on its hands began busily tying rubber bands into knots.

Dr. Garnette Sutherland worked for six years to create the robot to aid in complex neurosurgery. The device is controlled from a computer workstation and provides real-time magnetic resonance imaging, giving the surgeon a ready view of how the brain is reacting.

“The robot can pick up a micro-scissors or other tools that neurosurgery uses and actually open and close them in much the same way that surgeons use their hands,” said Dr. Sutherland, a professor of neurosurgery.

“Sensory feedback is a very important component of NeuroArm, and it has a sense of touch.”

It could also result in safer surgery for patients.

“The feedback provides the surgeon the ability to quantify the forces involved in handling delicate tissue,” Sutherland explained. “It would be wonderful to know the pressure that one is exerting on a blood vessel before it breaks.”

Advanced surgical testing of NeuroArm is currently under way, and with the blessing of Health Canada it could be used on its first patient this summer.

The robot surgeon could be used on patients like Tracy Durfy, a 36-year-old Calgary woman who had a benign brain tumour removed by Dr. Sutherland two years ago.

“The surgery I had was state-of-the-art technology, which was GPS positioning if you believe it,” said Ms. Durfy.

“The fact that it's a robot wouldn't be concerning to me. When you look at laser surgery for eyes, it's done by a machine.”

Although the robot surgeon will improve finesse during surgery, there is no guarantee that mistakes won't still happen.

“You can never eliminate human error,” Dr. Sutherland conceded. “But this tries to help the surgeon not have error, because the training mode of this robot allows rehearsal. The surgeon can be aware that an error might occur before they actually conduct your procedure.”

The robotics expertise was provided by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), which has a background in creating specialized space robots used aboard space shuttles and at the International Space Station.

“What it does is enhance the eyesight of a surgeon through MRI, it enhances the hands of a surgeon through sub-millimetre motion,” said MDA vice-president Bruce Mack. “And it also displays the feedback back to a surgeon to enable him to feel immersed in a microscopic world.”

The use of robot technology marks a huge jump forward in neurosurgery. Many microsurgical techniques evolved back in the 1960s, said Dr. Sutherland, and have pushed surgeons to the limit in terms of precision, accuracy, dexterity and stamina.

“Surgeons of the past were exceptional carpenters. They could build things very well with their hands and their eyes,” he said.

“The surgeon of the future might be one of our children that is playing that Nintendo game. That is the future surgeon who can take large amounts of technology and data, synthesize it, analyze it and interact with it.”

The final price tag for the NeuroArm was $27-million.