The miracle

Abstract

Bones in general and human bones in particular are being cut with mechanical tools since thousands of years. Only in the last decades, another technology has evolved that starts challenging the way bone is being cut: lasers. Despite the huge technological effort that is required to guide lasers and make them cut bone without leading to carbonization, laserosteotomes feature several properties that might become a game changer in the medical field and how bones will be cut in the future. In Basel, Switzerland, the first robot-assisted laserosteotome has been developed that cuts bone in an open surgical process. Due to the promising results with this first device throughout several studies, the MIRACLE project (short for Minimal-Invasive Robot- Assisted Computer-guided LaserosteotomE) has been initiated. MIRACLE is currently on its way of bringing robot-assisted laserosteotomy to the next level.