Surgeons must operate with absolute precision; the handling
of surgical tools requires the utmost sensitivity. A new kind of instrument
handle will soon be supporting physicians in the OR. Fraunhofer researchers
will present the first prototype at the 2013 Medtec trade show in Stuttgart
from 26 to 28 February.
How deep have I already turned the screw into the bone? Did
I apply too much force? Have we reached maximum force? While operating,
surgeons have to ask these and similar questions. Until now, they only had
their pure instinct and their experience to rely on. Yet soon, a vulcanized
instrument handle, designed so that surgical tools – such as screwdrivers or
spreaders – can be screwed into it, making precision surgeries easier to
conduct. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering
and Automation IPA in Stuttgart developed the device in collaboration with
Weber Instrumente GmbH.