A medical robot that began life as a research project at Kyushu University in Japan is on track to help transform the way that surgeons perform delicate microsurgical procedures. Developed by medical device manufacturer F.MED, the microsurgery support robot was born from an idea to tackle the shortage of professionals trained in microsurgery and speed up the time it takes for surgeons to acquire new skills.
Microsurgery involves repairing or reconstructing tiny structures in the body such as blood vessels and nerves that are less than a few millimeters in diameter. Surgeons typically use specialized microscopes and instrumentation to perform these complex procedures. With F.MED’s advanced robot, they will be able to do the surgery remotely, operating a robotic arm from a large monitor, where they can view every detail up close. Rather than holding the fine instruments themselves, the surgeons guide the movement of the robot arm with controls for enhanced precision and dexterity. Not only does this approach overcome the human limitations of performing such delicate microsurgical procedures, particularly in terms of stabilizing hand tremors, it should also help to make microsurgery more widely available in hospitals.
“By creating an environment where microsurgery can be done in many hospitals using robots, we can improve the quality of life of patients and help them return to society,” said Keita Shimomura, CEO of F.MED.
F.MED’s microsurgery assistance robot system has already been successfully tested in collaboration with specialists at Kyushu University and the Japanese Society of Plastic Surgery. The company is now working on a third-generation prototype before it plans to launch the robot to market.
All product development is managed using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud. Engineers use CATIA and SOLIDWORKS to design the robot’s different components and integrate them within the wider assembly – which involves more than 10,000 interconnected objects, as well as electrical wiring and piping.
Being able to design each part within the context of the larger 3D model helps to resolve integration issues earlier and speed up development time. And thanks to SIMULIA on the platform, the team appreciates being able to carry out all design and structural analysis processes in one place without having to switch between different applications.
As F.MED gears up to launch its robot on the global market, it values the ability to manage all product data centrally. This is crucial for maintaining full traceability of the change history of the 3D model, handling the approval process and getting the robot certified.
Discover more about why the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud is the perfect fit for F.MED and how MODSIM supports the company to bring its advanced microsurgery assistance robot system to life.
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