COBRA repair robot set for human surgery

Developed at Nottingham University and dubbed COBRA, the continuum robot has been demonstrated in jet engine inspection and repair, plus nuclear plant installation and maintenance.

Based in the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing and On-Wing Technology at the University, researchers have now secured EPSRC-Impact Accelerator funding to adapt COBRA into the first robot in the UK specifically for throat cancer and injury surgery.

“We have started early tests to see if the robot can navigate and has enough motion capabilities to perform surgical procedures,” said UTC director, Professor Dragos Axinte. “For medical applications there are a lot of safety adjustments to make on the design and control method of the probe to make it suitable for inspecting inside the human body. The robot has potential in a broad range of applications and medicine is an exciting direction for our research to take.”

The 5m long robot, which is about 9mm in diameter, can be operated remotely to manoeuvre through cramped spaces and round tight bends in safety-critical machine parts where miniature scales and inhospitable locations make it physically impossible for a person to inspect or repair without fully dismantling.