Carnegie Mellon Engineering

Media Advisory: Carnegie Mellon's Biomedical Engineering Students to Observe and Test Innovative Surgical System

March 22, 2010

Contact: Chriss Swaney
Carnegie Mellon University
412.268.5776

Contact: Dan Laurent
West Penn Allegheny Health System
412.330.4430

Event: Students from Carnegie Mellon University's "Surgery For Engineers" class will get hands-on experience with a new futuristic robot named "daVinci." The daVinci surgical system, created by California-based Intuitive Surgical, is a robot with four arms. Three of them hold tools, such as a scalpel or scissors, and the fourth arm is for a camera with two lenses that give surgeons a 3D image of the medical procedure.

Neurosurgeon James Burgess of Allegheny General Hospital, who developed the new Carnegie Mellon biomedical engineering course, said students will get to see how technology is helping surgeons. The demonstration is open to the public.  
 
When: 3-6 p.m., Tuesday, March 23.

Where: Scaife Hall Lobby, off Frew Street, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213.