MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has entered into an agreement with Imris to develop Imris's MR guided surgical robot.

In 2010 the two companies began to work on a robotic surgery system to commerciliaze the MR guided surgical robot.

The surgical robot features two robotic arms that can manipulate MR-compatible tools at a microscopic level from a remote workstation.

The solution helps surgeons view detailed three-dimensional images of the surgical tools and the brain, and allows them to feel the tissue using hand controllers equipped with enhanced touch sensation through the robotic arms and surgical tools and apply appropriate pressure as they operate.

The system is being designed to perform microsurgery and biopsy-stereotaxy applications on the brain with sub-millimeter precision under the guidance of the neurosurgeon using Imris surgical suite.

Imris CEO David Graves said they believe the availability of surgical robotics within Imris’s image guided surgery suites will prove compelling for clinicians.