Welcome to the new world technology where a tiny robot hand could revolutionise in utero surgery. Almost A$18 million has been invested into building a tiny surgical hand that can operate on foetuses or deliver stem cells to damaged organs.
The minuscule device would also provide 3D images of the foetus while it’s still in the womb.The ambitious projects aims to transform the way scientists treat congenital conditions such as spina bifida, a condition that in its most serious form affects around one in 1,000 babies and causes a baby to be born with an underdeveloped spine and neurological problems.The robot hand is still only in the research stage at University College London and KU Leuven in Belgium, The Guardian reports, but the Wellcome Trust-funded project has the potential to lead to less invasive surgical technologies that put mother and baby at less risk.
Right now, doctors treat spina bifada by “patching” the gap in the foetuses' spines. But currently they’re only able to perform surgery once the unborn baby is at least 26 weeks old, at which point considerable damage may have already been done to the child’s developing brain. They also have to open up the mother’s abdomen and uterus, causing a significant risk of premature birth.
The new hand works like tiny pincers, and it’s envisioned it would be inserted into the womb without needing to open up the mother, and then would use its 3D camera to guide doctors throughout the surgery.
