Tag Archives: DaVinci

Penn doctors perform the first robot-assisted spinal surgery

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Surgical robots are capable of feats that even the most skilled doctors can't manage, and the University of Pennsylvania just offered a textbook example. The school has confirmed that it performed the first-ever robot-assisted spinal surgery, using D...

Edible robot surgeons will cure you from the inside out

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Back in 1985, the best robotic surgeon we had was the PUMA 560, a manipulator arm just barely more advanced than Rocky Balboa's robo-butler. Just barely. The PUMA was nevertheless revolutionary. It was the very first mechanical operator, progenitor t...

Hear Leonardo da Vinci’s 500-year-old instrument play for the first time (video)

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DOUNIAMAG-POLAND-MUSIC-LEONARDO-DA-VINCI

Leonardo da Vinci invented numerous devices that he never built, including the viola organista -- a machine-like instrument that combines a harpsichord, an organ and a viola da gamba. This 500-year-old idea is now a reality, however, thanks to Polish musician Slawomir Zubrzycki. His 5,000-hour project faithfully recreates da Vinci's concept, using a keyboard to press steel strings against moving wheels wrapped in horse hair. The results are sweet-sounding, despite the seemingly odd approach; as you'll hear in a debut performance after the break, Zubrzycki effectively becomes a one-man string ensemble. While it's doubtful that you'll ever find a viola organista in the local music shop, the one-off creation proves that da Vinci knew how to blend technology and art.

[Image credit: Tomasz Wiech AFP/Getty Images]

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Via: CNET, The Verge

Source: AFP (The Age)

Tokyo’s IBIS robot promises cheaper surgery, throws shade at da Vinci (video)

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Tokyo's IBIS robot promises cheaper surgery, throws a shade at da Vinci video

"Anything you can do, I can do cheaper," says the Tokyo Institute of Technology while jabbing a rude elbow in the ribs of Intuitive Surgical. The Japanese institute is showing off IBIS, a surgical robot that is expected to cost between a third and a tenth of the $2 million it takes to buy one of Intuitive's da Vinci droids. Unlike its electrically powered American rival, IBIS is pneumatic, making it significantly cheaper and able to provide force feedback to surgeons when the arms touch something. The engineers behind the 'bot are hoping to produce a practical version within the next five years, and we're already thinking about inviting both machines along for a fight at Expand 2020. In the meantime, you can catch IBIS in action in the video after the break.

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Source: Diginfo

Engadget Expand speakers, Round Five: Robots, bionics, da Vinci surgery and more!

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Engadget Expand speakers, Round Five Robots, bionics, da Vinci surgery and more!
It's time for another unveil of the speaker lineup we've got brewing for Expand in San Francisco this March 16-17. We've got four more inspiring thinkers and doers who will be joining us on stage at Fort Mason Center:

They're joining a whole host of other rad speakers including Chris Anderson (CEO, 3D Robotics and former editor-in-chief, Wired), Yancey Strickler (Co-founder and Head of Community, Kickstarter), Steve Cousins (CEO, Willow Garage), Julie Uhrman (Founder and CEO, OUYA) and many more. Stay tuned here and on our social channels (Twitter, Facebook and Google+) for more agenda reveals and other Expand news.

Plus, find out who the attendees are most looking forward to seeing...

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