''Mechanically-intelligent'' Intra-operative Tissue Assessment for Robot-Assisted Surgery (MIRAS)

This partnership brings together 4 distinct and complementary engineering groups with two clinical specialisms and is supported by two industries, an SME in the medical sensors area and a manufacturer of surgical robots. The group will focus on two principal aims:

1. to devise a microfabricated probe deployable via a standard minimally invasive surgery instrument capable of making intra-operative mechanical measurements on the tissue surface.

2. to establish data modelling methods in order to process the real-time measurement data to produce quantitative assessment of surgical margin as intra-operative feedback to the surgeon.

Creating a tool for intraoperative tissue diagnosis in robotic cancer surgery