Robotic Surgeon Folds, Throws Tiny Paper Airplane

Showing off not only the doctor’s skill, but the amazing dexterity of the da Vinci Surgical System, an operator folds a paper airplane with surprising ease at a very small scale. Actual flight is attempted, but the plane is more of a display piece than an example in quality aeronautics.

While this is a silly example of the robot surgeon’s abilities, it has serious, real world applications. From the YouTube information from the Swedish Medical Center, the non-profit health care provider that made the video:

Swedish [Medical Center] uses the da Vinci Surgical System to perform minimally invasive urological, gynecological and thoracic surgeries for diseases such as prostate cancer, kidney cancer, uterine cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and lung cancer, and to assist in complex gynecologic reconstruction surgeries.

Astounding: I can barely type coherently on an iPhone, while this machine performs tiny surgeries on humans.

(via Gizmodo)