Robot set for surgery

A BRITISH company hopes to revolutionise keyhole surgery with a small robot arm.

Cambridge Medical Robotics (CMR) says that its surgeon-controlled device will carry out hernia repairs, prostate surgery and ear, nose and throat operations.

Existing robots are about three times bigger than this new one, which is just 0.6m by 0.6m. Called Versius, it’s the world’s smallest. CMR says it will cost half the price of existing robots.

The technology, to launch early next year, could also be used for telesurgery – operations carried out remotely by a surgeon.