CardioArm Probes Around

I must admit this is one of the weirder medical devices I’ve covered so far – the CardioArm is more an offshoot of Dr. Octopus’ tentacled wonder than a medical contraption. This snakelike robot was specially designed to help out in heart surgeries, requiring the surgeon to make an incision small enough for the robot to enter the system. Once inside, CardioArm is controlled through a joystick and a computer for monitoring. Guess those joystick jockey days surgeons had at college won’t be wasted here – I do wonder just how much battery life the CardioArm has. What happens when you’re in the midst of an operation and the damn thing actually runs out of juice?