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Weekly Science Review

Robot Surgeons From Baghdad to Mars Are Closer Than You Think

Click here for a firsthand account from PM's Extreme Surgeon on man-vs.-bot in the zero-
gravity O.R.!

While aboard a DC-9 aircraft, a remote operator uses a robot to suture a section of simulated tissue.

By Erik Sofge
Published in the December 2007 issue.
If a robot surgeon is treating you, your life is in danger. That’s not due to any machine-borne

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malice, but because current research into autonomous surgery is focused on battlefield casualties
barely clinging to life and astronauts injured on distant planets. To demonstrate how that research is
progressing, Silicon Valley-based SRI International and the University of Cincinnati held a series of
tests this past September that sound like a cross between a PR stunt and a B-movie: human doctors
squaring off against a robotic surgeon aboard a nose-diving DC-9 aircraft.

During periods of zero gravity and sustained acceleration of 1.8 g’s, a robot made incisions and
applied sutures on simulated tissue, while a human surgeon did the same. The purpose: to measure
just how precise a remote-operated robot can be, especially in a turbulent or gravity-free
environment. SRI hasn’t released its results, but according to PM Advisory Board member Dr.
Ken Kamler, who participated in one of the flight tests, the robot seemed to hold its own—until its
compensation software was turned off. “The difference was huge,” Kamler says. “It was
virtually impossible [for it] to tie a knot.” But with compensation engaged, the bot performed as
well as it did on Earth.

And so the tests’ true purpose was to showcase SRI’s software. “We’re not
mimicking a surgeon,” says Tom Low, SRI’s director of medical devices and robotics,
“but looking at what a robot can do better.” By focusing on adaptive algorithms, SRI wants to
move away from remote telesurgery and closer to autonomy. The company plans to build a system
for NASA that could treat an astronaut on Mars, where communication delays of more than 20
minutes would make telesurgery impossible.

For now, SRI is developing a robotic operating room for the battlefield, called Trauma Pod. In
March, SRI demonstrated the concept with a team of robots treating a mannequin. The final
Pentagon-funded version would need to be small enough to fit in a ground or air vehicle. Designed
to treat wounds that would otherwise be fatal within 30 minutes, Trauma Pod could be used
midevacuation, relying heavily on compensation software. It would also have significant autonomy.
The robots would ventilate the patient’s airway and try to control bleeding, with specialized
tools and auto-targeting systems potentially speeding the treatment. A remote human surgeon would
simply oversee the work. Pending Pentagon approval, SRI hopes to field-test a Trauma Pod by
2009.

Robot Medic Will Deploy by 2009: Live from DARPATech

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — One of the first announcements at this year's three-day
DARPATech conference is going to be hard to top: the first portable, self-contained surgical
robot will be deployed in the next two years. Brett Giroir, director of the research agency's
Defense Sciences Office also announced that the system, called Trauma Pod, has
successfully "treated" a mannequin during a test, with no complications.

A single human will operate the robot remotely during surgery, but Trauma Pod will be able
to perform a number of functions, such as fluid administration and surgical assistance,
autonomously. The goal is to stabilize injured soldiers as quickly as possible, and previous
Trauma Pod designs have included related systems that evacuate the patient. Giroir said that
a prototype will be delivered to troops within two years. The exhibit hall opens in another
few hours, so check back for more Trauma Pod details and updated images. —Erik Sofge

UPDATE (Aug. 8, 2:14 p.m.): The Trauma Pod isn't on display in the exhibit hall, most
likely because it's a massive, lab-size system. There's a video playing at the DSO booth, but
DARPA hasn't released any art yet for the project (the video of the mannequin test doesn't
show up all that well in the stills above and at right, but I gave it a shot anyway). According
to DSO Director Brett Giroir, the goal of the Trauma Pod is to conduct "emergency control
surgery." That means diagnosing and treating major trauma, focusing on airway
management, head wounds and, as Giroir put it, "controlling uncontrollable bleeding."

And while a surgeon will be controlling some of the Pod's functions, such as the more
invasive procedures, the system relies heavily on autonomous control. The robots in the Pod
would insert breathing tubes and IVs, but the surgeon would direct the scalpel. Even during
remote operation, auto-targeting systems will assist the surgeon, completing or fine-turning
certain actions. "It's not doing surgery the way a person is," Giroir said. Instead of an
exercise in advanced telepresence, the Trauma Pod is a synthesis of human judgement and
robotic precision. Much of the surgeon's input will be to tell the robots not to do something,
such as inserting a breathing tube. Many of the systems are still up in the air, but Giroir
expects the Pod to rely on CT scans for diagnosing trauma, and various surgical instruments
that, as depicted in the video, the robots will literally grab out of a rack. It might incorporate
technology from other programs, such as a device that triggers coagulation in a severed
artery through high-intensity focused ultrasound.

Getting the patient off the battlefield and into a hospital is another matter. While the Pod is
supposed to eventually meet certain size and weight restrictions, there are no plans yet to
incorporate specific vehicles. Giroir does believe it will be compact enough to fit in the
back of a Stryker vehicle, for example, and the experimental model that will be delivered in
two years might still need to be trimmed down. The Trauma Pod is expected to be used by
the Army initially, with possible, full-production deployment happening between 2011 and
2013. That's a very rough estimate from Giroir, and much of the timing will depend on how
quickly the system can be miniaturized, and whether it actually works.

Giroir was also excited about the Pod's potential civilian use, for when trauma centers are
often too far away to save a patient's life. Local hospitals could stock a single Trauma Pod,
and have a surgeon thousands of miles away assist in stabilizing the patient. Before the
system can be deployed anywhere, at least one anesthesized pig will have to be wounded
and patched up. But if the Trauma Pod turns out to be as revolutionary as it sounds, that'll
be one awfully good pig. —E.S.

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MIT offers City Car for the masses
A project to improve urban transportation will make its debut this week in Milan.
Images: MIT's stackable electric car

By Candace Lombardi
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Published: November 5, 2007, 12:01 PM PST

Is the City Car the solution to "the last mile" problem?
The City Car, a design project under way at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is
envisioned as a two-seater electric vehicle powered by lithium-ion batteries. It would weigh
between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds and could collapse, then stack like a shopping cart with six to
eight fitting into a typical parking space. It isn't just a car, but is designed as a system of shared cars
with kiosks at locations around a city or small community.
"The problem with mass transit is it kind of takes you to where you want to go and at the
approximate time you want to get there, but not exactly. Sometimes you have to walk up to a mile
from the last train or subway stop," said Franco Vairani, a Ph.D. candidate at MIT's school of
architecture. The City Car is his thesis, though it's now a group effort involving many others at the
school.
While the City Car is still under development--a prototype is expected next year--a scooter also
designed by Vairani and partners will be unveiled at the EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan, Italy,
later this week.
The City Car grew out of a 2003 project with sponsorship from General Motors that set out to
rethink vehicles in general from a the-sky's-the-limit perspective. Vairani and Will Lark, a
mechanical engineering Ph.D. candidate, presented the idea of a small collapsible car that could
stack like a shopping cart to answer the problems of urban crowding for both driving and parking.
They were encouraged to share and explore the urban car idea by Bill Mitchell, the director of both
MIT's Design Laboratory and the MIT Media Lab Smart Cities research group.
The City Car is now an interdisciplinary project with the Smart Cities Group and the MIT Media
Lab involving architects, industrial designers, and mechanical engineers from different groups all
working in tandem on different components. Even a medical doctor has been involved, according to
Lark.
Other inner-city transportation ideas are on the drawing boards, of course. And various ideas have
been proposed by automakers at recent auto shows.
Unlike a regular car--or even another type of electric car--that has a central power system
distributed to its wheels, the City Car is envisioned as a modular system. Each wheel base has its
own motor, steering, braking, and suspension system. It then taps into a central system for power,
computer control, and some mechanical linkage. These "electric robot wheels" as they are called,
would allow the City Car to be collapsible, stackable, and spin on a dime for sideways movement
and easier parking, according to Lark. "So you really treat this like a Lego brick you snap onto a

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cabin," said Lark.
People should think about the car as more of a service than an individual vehicle. It could be
connected to a network giving the driver access to real-time information, such as route advice in the
face of bad traffic conditions. Or, it could alert drivers when they're passing the kind of restaurant
they like, said Lark.
The existing Zip Car rental system has shown that people are willing to be part of a service that
rewards members who are good custodians, according to Lark. He said the City Car could create the
same type of community feeling of responsibility.
Now on News.com
Google launches its cell phone ambitions MIT offers City Car for the masses Green means go
Extra: New dirty tricks--decoy candidate sites
The City Car business model is akin to a shopping cart or a bike-share program where you return
the item to a convenient location when you're done with it. City Car users would be required to
swipe their credit card as a form of deposit. The cars could also be tracked using GPS. To protect
privacy, the GPS info could then be deleted once the car is safely returned to a kiosk.
The cars could be designed to match transportation realities in various cities. For instance, cars
might be slower, have a shorter range and a lighter battery in congested cities like Boston. Another
version might be faster or have longer ranges for sprawling cities like Los Angeles where people
would need a top speed of maybe 70 mph so they could safely enter highways, according to
Vairani.
The modular system makes it possible for the vehicle to be easily customizable and kept only as
light and efficient as it needs to be for each individual situation.
The group says it has already received interest from the state of Hawaii, which is rethinking its mass
transit system. Since even locals have to take a plane or boat to get from one island to another in
Hawaii, it's not just tourists who need something once they reach their destination.

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Rare Mummified Dinosaur Unearthed:
Contains Skin, and Maybe Organs, Muscle
By Evan Ratliff 12.03.07 | 12:00 AM

Scientists have uncovered the mummy of a 67-million-year-old plant-eating hadrosaur, a duck-

billed herbivore common to North America.
Image: National Geographic Channel
Scientists on Monday announced the discovery of what appears to be the world's most intact
dinosaur mummy: a 67-million-year-old plant-eater that contains fossilized bones and skin tissue,
and possibly muscle and organs.
Preserved by a natural fluke of time and chemistry, the four-ton mummified hadrosaur, a duck-
billed herbivore common to North America, could reshape the understanding of dinosaurs and their
habitat, its finders say.
"There is no doubt about it that this dinosaur is a very, very significant find," said Tyler Lyson, a
graduate student in geology at Yale University who discovered the dinosaur in North Dakota.
"To say we are excited would be an understatement," said Phil Manning, a paleontologist at
England's University of Manchester who is leading the examination. "When I first saw it in the
field, (I thought) 'Shiiiit, that's a really well preserved dinosaur.' It has the potential to be a top-10
dinosaur, globally."

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After excavating the dinosaur, scientists encased it and the surrounding soil in plaster. It was hauled
to Boeing's giant CT scanner near Los Angeles.
Photo: National Geographic Channel
Nicknamed Dakota, the hadrosaur is one of only five naturally preserved dinosaur mummies ever
discovered. Unlike previous dinosaur mummies, which typically involve skin impressions pressed
into bones, Dakota's entire skin envelope appears to remain largely intact.
"The skin has been mineralized," said Manning. "It is an actual three-dimensional structure,
backfilled with sediment."
The fidelity of the envelope, he said, raises the possibility that Dakota could contain other soft-
tissue remnants, including muscles and organs.
Then-16-year-old Lyson was fossil-hunting in 1999 in the Hell Creek Formation badlands of North
Dakota when he first spotted the dinosaur's bone-like protrusion from a hill. In 2004, after Lyson
returned to begin excavating the fossil and discovered skin remnants, a friend studying at the
University of Manchester alerted Manning, who had the experience and resources to organize a
more cautious excavation.
Only after the body and a chunk of the hillside was moved to a lab did the scientists realize the
extent of the discovery. "On vast areas of the tail and body," Manning said, "there was what looked
to be a three-dimensional skin envelope, in the same way as a sock around your foot -- which did
not make any sense at all."
Manning brought on dozens of scientists and engineers -- in disciplines ranging from computer
science to organic chemistry and physics -- to investigate every aspect of the find using state-of-the-
art tools.
"Up until Phil showed me this dinosaur," said Roy Wogelius, a geochemist from the University of
Manchester studying the soil surrounding Dakota, "I had no interest in dinosaurs. As soon as I saw
this specimen, I was fascinated."
In North Dakota, the researchers used Light Detection and Ranging equipment (LiDAR) to develop
a three-dimensional topographical map of the area where Dakota died. Manning speculated that the
dinosaur collapsed in a riverbed during the late Cretaceous Period and was rapidly buried in
mineral-rich wet sand, preventing bacteria from devouring all of its tissue. "There was active-
enough chemistry in the sediments that the decay process didn't occur as quickly as the
mineralization process," he said. "It was a perfect chemical soup."

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The CT scan showed that the hadrosaur's vertebrae, which museums commonly stack together, are
actually spaced a centimeter apart. That means we may have been underestimating the size of many
dinosaurs.
Image: National Geographic Channel
After examining the dinosaur at a local lab, the scientists encased it and the remaining surrounding
soil in plaster and hauled it by truck to a Boeing research center in Canoga Park, California, north of
Los Angeles. There, Boeing volunteered the world's largest computerized tomography, or CT,
scanner, originally built by NASA to scan space shuttle parts for flaws. At 8,000 pounds, the fossil
became the largest object ever scanned at high resolution. The researchers are using the data to
survey the body's interior before chipping away further on the fossil. "The CT scan is like a
roadmap," said Manning. "It will help us recover the rest of the animal more easily and efficiently."
The first significant findings from the dinosaur, currently under review at a major scientific journal,
will describe the unique chemical balance that preserved the fossil. The body, meanwhile, remains
on the Boeing scanner, as Manning and his colleagues sift through terabytes of data. So far, they
have determined that the hadrosaur's hindquarters are 25 percent larger than previously thought for
the species, meaning that it could run up to 28 mph -- faster than previously estimated. They have
also discovered that the specimen's vertebrae, which museums commonly stack together, are
actually spaced 10 millimeters apart. The result, Manning said, implies that scientists may have
been underestimating the size of hadrosaurs and other dinosaurs.
The National Geographic Channel, which helped fund the research, will recount the saga of
Dakota's discovery in a documentary, Dino Autopsy, Sunday, Dec. 9, at 9 p.m. EST. Manning is
also publishing a book, Grave Secrets of Dinosaurs, describing the fossil and its history. Although
there are a lot of scientists involved in the project, Lyson and Manning have not yet allowed experts
outside the project to assess the mummified dinosaur.
But the scientific findings from the specimen may take decades to exhaust. "I'm 40 years old now,"
Manning said. "If I live till 80 I think I'll still be at the tip of the iceberg."

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5 Bizarre Dinosaurs
December 3, 2007

Scientists recently discovered a partially mummified hadrosaur in North Dakota that they are
calling the closest thing we will ever get to a real dinosaur.

The animal consisted not only of fossilized bone, but skin and tissue as well. The team hopes this
will lead to major breakthroughs in paleontology, and it has already revealed the fact that the
dinosaur had a much larger rear end than originally thought.
In honor of the scientists’ giant dinosaur butt discovery, I’ve been inspired to create a list of some
of the weirdest dinosaurs ever. There will be no Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, or Pterodactyl. They’re
all strange in their own way, but too well known to be truly strange to most people. Here are some
of the weirdest and most interesting dinosaurs in history.
Masiakasaurus knopfleri

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This dino is cool for several reasons. For one thing, it was named after Dire Straits guitarist Mark
Knopfler. Until they discover and name the KeithRichardsasaurus this one pretty well has a
stranglehold on coolest dinosaur name inspiration (note: There is a dinosaur informally called the
Elvisaurus, but it’s not official so this one is still cooler). Also, look how ugly it is. I think this is a
good nominee for ugliest set of teeth ever. Unexpectedly, this animal is not English. It was a
carnivorous animal the size of a large dog that lived in modern day Madagascar during the
Cretaceous period. The find helped support the theory that several places that are now separate were
once part of a supercontinent called Gondwana. The creature is related to other fossilized dinosaurs
discovered in India and Argentina, which were thought to have one point all been part of the
supercontinent.
Nigersaurus taqueti

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This recently discovered dinosaur has been called the cow of the Mesozoic period. The animal,
roughly the size of an elephant, lived in what is now West Africa over 100 million years ago. It had
up to ten rows of teeth and a mouth shaped like a shovel. Its unique mouth let it “vacuum” up plant
life. The discovery has led some scientists to rethink their ideas about other plant eating dinosaurs
like diplodocus. Previously, scientists assumed these long necked animals acted like giraffes and ate
primarily from treetops. They’re now beginning to think that some, like the Nigersaurus taqueti,
grazed on ground plants.
Microraptor gui

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The microraptor gui was a pheasant sized dinosaur with four separate wings. The four feathered
wings corresponded to the animal’s four limbs. The dinosaur, discovered in China by paleontologist
Xu Xing, has sparked heated debate among scientists about how dinosaurs evolved into birds.
While one school holds that dinosaurs evolved wings to help with running speed and later
developed the ability to lift off and fly, this seems to support another theory. Scientists think the
microraptor glided through the trees, much like today’s flying squirrels.
Carnotaurus

This dinosaur’s name roughly translates as meat eating bull. It is really weird looking. The two
horns on top of its head are the inspiration for the bull part of its name. Weirder looking to me,
however, are its tiny little baby arms with backwards hands. The palms faced outwards. The animal
lived during the Middle Cretaceous period, and was first discovered in Argentina in the 1980s
Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus

Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus is known as the unicorn dinosaur because it has a unicorn head with one
long horn jutting from its forehead. Unlike most dinosaur horns, the Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus had
a forward facing horn. This really confused scientists at first because most dinosaurs had backwards
facing horns. The paleontologists who discovered the animal first thought the fossils they

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discovered were from more than one dinosaur. The creature was discovered in China in the 1950s,
and it lived during the Late Cretaceous period. It is a member of the plant-eating hadrosaur or
duckbill dinosaur family just like the giant butt dinosaur from Utah.
…and if you subcribe to our RSS feed, we’ll give you a free album. You’ll find out all the latest
on crazy dinosaurs, animals and people. You’ll also read some excellent original articles and see
great pictures. Enjoy!
Written by Robert · Filed Under Offbeat News

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WIRED MAGAZINE: ISSUE 15.12

23AndMe Will Decode Your DNA for $1,000.

Welcome to the Age of Genomics
By Thomas Goetz 11.17.07 | 12:00 AM

Left: Courtesy Sandra Burkett, National Cancer Institute, CCR; Right: Frank Schwere

At the age of 65, my grandfather the manager of a leather tannery in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin,
suffered a severe heart attack. He had chest pains and was rushed to the hospital. But that was in
1945, before open heart surgery, and he died a few hours later. By the time my father reached 65, he
was watching his diet and exercising regularly. That regimen seemed fine until a couple of years
later, when he developed chest pains during exercise, a symptom of severe arteriolosclerosis. A

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checkup revealed that his blood vessels were clogged with arterial plaque. Within two days he had a
triple bypass. Fifteen years later (15 years that he considers a gift), he's had no heart trouble to
speak of.
I won't reach 65 till 2033, but I have long assumed that, as regards heart disease, my time will
come. My genes have predetermined it. To avoid my father's surgery, or my grandfather's fate, I try
to eat healthier than most, exercise more than most, and never even consider smoking. This, I
figure, is what it will take for me to live past 65.
Turns out that my odds are better than I thought. My DNA isn't pushing me toward heart disease —
it's pulling me away. There are established genetic variations that researchers associate with a
higher risk for a heart attack, and my genome doesn't have any of those negative mutations; it has
positive mutations that actually reduce my risk. Like any American, I still have a good chance of
eventually developing heart disease. But when it comes to an inherited risk, I take after my mother,
not my father.
Reading your genomic profile — learning your predispositions for various diseases, odd traits, and
a talent or two — is something like going to a phantasmagorical family reunion. First you're
introduced to the grandfather who died 23 years before you were born, then you move along for a
chat with your parents, who are uncharacteristically willing to talk about their health — Dad's
prostate, Mom's digestive tract. Next, you have the odd experience of getting acquainted with future
versions of yourself, 10, 20, and 30 years down the road. Finally, you face the prospect of telling
your children — in my case, my 8-month-old son — that he, like me, may face an increased genetic
risk for glaucoma.
The experience is simultaneously unsettling, illuminating, and empowering. And now it's something
anyone can have for about $1,000. This winter marks the birth of a new industry: Companies will
take a sample of your DNA, scan it, and tell you about your genetic future, as well as your ancestral
past. A much-anticipated Silicon Valley startup called 23andMe offers a thorough tour of your
genealogy, tracing your DNA back through the eons. Sign up members of your family and you can
track generations of inheritance for traits like athletic endurance or bitter-taste blindness. The
company will also tell you which diseases and conditions are associated with your genes — from
colorectal cancer to lactose intolerance — giving you the ability to take preventive action. A second
company, called Navigenics, focuses on matching your genes to current medical research,
calculating your genetic risk for a range of diseases.
The advent of retail genomics will make a once-rare experience commonplace. Simply by spitting
into a vial, customers of these companies will become early adopters of personalized medicine. We
will not live according to what has happened to us (that knee injury from high school or that 20
pounds we've gained since college) nor according to what happens to most Americans (the one-in-
three chance men have of getting cancer, or women have of dying from heart disease, or anyone has
for obesity). We will live according to what our own specific genetic risks predispose us toward.

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At Illumina, a San Diego biotech firm, chips are prepared for genotyping in the "decoding bay." 1
Photo: Brent Humphreys
This new industry draws on science that is just beginning to emerge. Genomics is in its earliest
days: The Human Genome Project, the landmark effort to sequence the DNA of our species, was
completed in 2003, and the research built on that milestone is only now being published. The fact
that any consumer with $1,000 can now capitalize on this project is a rare case of groundbreaking
science overlapping with an eager marketplace. For the moment, 23andMe and Navigenics offer
genotyping: the strategic scanning of your DNA for several hundred thousand of the telltale
variations that make one human different from the next. But in a few years, as the price of
sequencing the entire genome drops below $1,000, all 6billion points of your genetic code will be
opened to scrutiny.
To act on this data, we first need to understand it. That means the companies must translate the
demanding argot of genetics — alleles and phenotypes and centromeres — into something
approachable, even simple, for physicians and laypersons alike. It's one thing for a doctor to tell
patients that smoking is bad for them, or that their cholesterol count is high. But how are you
supposed to react when you're told you have a genetic variation at rs6983267 that's been associated
with a 20 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer? And what are physicians, most likely untrained
in and unprepared for genomic medicine, to do when a patient comes in wielding a printout that
indicates a particular variation of a particular gene?
This new age of genomics comes with great opportunity — but also great quandaries. In the
genomic age, we will no longer have the problem of not knowing, but we will face the burden of
whether we want to know in the first place. We'll learn what might be best for us in life and then
have to reckon with the risk and perhaps the guilt of not acting on that knowledge. We will,
counterintuitively, face even more pressure to conduct our lives carefully, strictly, and cautiously;
we'll practice the art of predictive diagnosis and receive a demanding roster of things to avoid,
things to do, and treatments to receive — long before there's any physical evidence of disease. And,
yes, we will know whether our children are predisposed to certain traits or talents — athletics or
music or languages — and encourage them to pursue certain paths. In short, life will become a little
more like a game of strategy, where we're always playing the percentages, trying to optimize our
outcomes. "These are enormously large calculations," says Leroy Hood, a pioneer of genomic
sequencing and cofounder of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, who suggests that if we
pay attention and get the math right, "it's not a stretch to say that we could increase our productive
lifespans by at least a decade."
The question was surely strange. In February 2005, Anne Wojcicki sat down at the so-called
Billionaires' Dinner, an annual event held in Monterey, California, and asked her tablemates about
their urine. She was curious whether, after eating asparagus, they could smell it when they urinated.
Among those at her table were geneticist Craig Venter; Ryan Phelan, the CEO of DNA Direct, a
San Francisco genetic-testing company; and Wojcicki's then-boyfriend (and now husband), Sergey
Brin, cofounder of Google. Most could pick up the smell of methyl mercaptan, a sulfur compound
released as our guts digest the vegetable. But some had no idea what Wojcicki was talking about.
They had, it seems, a genetic variation that made the particular smell imperceptible to them.

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