Electronic tool said to simplify surgery

The vulcanised instrument handle, created by a team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation, relies on sensor technology and leds to let surgeons know how far their instrument can be inserted into a patient. First, the sensors measure the applied force. Then, once the optimal torsional moment is reached, an led on the inside of the instrument handle lights up. The necessary power is supplied and stored via an inductive charging process or a coil system. "One coil is located inside the hand grip; the other is in a little table. The surgeon merely has to put the handle on the table, and the battery is charged," explained researcher Christof Giers. The researchers are now looking to enhance the handle with a wireless interface, so that the sensor data can be transmitted to a pc and analysed.