Coming Soon: FX-7?

FX-7 from The Empire Strikes Back and The Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager.

Pentagon Seeks To Create Robotic Battlefield Surgeon

from AFP

WASHINGTON - Before the Terminator, the US military is looking to hire the Operator, a top-notch battlefield surgeon. But those made of flesh and blood need not apply.

A contract awarded by the Pentagon to a consortium of universities and high-tech firms on Monday calls for creating a versatile robot able to perform life-saving surgery on wounded soldiers right on the battlefield.

"The result will be a major step forward in saving lives on the battlefield," said Scott Seaton, an executive director with SRI International, a company that will be the lead contractor on the $12 million, two-year project.

The request comes amid mounting military casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, where US troops are trying to hunt down Islamic militants. The two wars have already claimed the lives of 1,686 US servicemen and left a total 11,877 others wounded, according to the latest Defense Department figures. The wounds of more than half of those hurt turn out to be serious enough that they require extended treatment.

If everything works according to plan, the "trauma pod," as the robotic surgical system is called, will be able to stabilize injured soldiers within minutes and administer medical and surgical care prior to or during evacuation.

The concept is a step up from the Da Vinci surgical system approved by the US government five years ago and already used in dozens of hospitals, officials said. When using it, the surgeon is seated comfortably at a console away from the operating table. Viewing a three-dimensional image of his target, the doctor relies on master controls to operate robotic arms that respond to every movement of his hands, wrists and fingers and wield surgical instruments inside the patient according to his wishes.


2-1B from The Empire Strikes Back and the plastic surgeon from Logan's Run.