Eindhoven University Developed High Precision Eye-Surgery Robot

Researcher Thijs Meenink at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has developed a smart eye-surgery robot that allows eye surgeons to operate with increased ease and greater precision on the retina and the vitreous humor of the eye. The system also extends the effective period during which ophthalmologists can carry out these intricate procedures. Meenink will defend his PhD thesis on Monday 31 October for his work on the robot, and intends later to commercialize his system.

• Filters-out tremors :-

Eye operations such as retina repairs or treating a detached retina demands high precision. In most cases surgeons can only carry out these operations for a limited part of their career. "When ophthalmologists start operating they are usually already at an advanced stage in their careers", says Thijs Meenink. "But at a later age it becomes increasingly difficult to perform these intricate procedures." The new system can simply filter-out hand tremors, which significantly increases the effective working period of the ophthalmologist.

• Same location every time :-

The robot consists of a 'master' and a 'slave'. The ophthalmologist remains fully in control, and operates from the master using two joysticks. This master was developed in an earlier PhD project at TU/e by dr.ir. Ron Hendrix. Two robot arms (the 'slave' developed by Meenink) copy the movements of the master and carry out the actual operation. The tiny needle-like instruments on the robot arms have a diameter of only 0.5 millimeter, and include forceps, surgical scissors and drains. The robot is designed such that the point at which the needle enters the eye is always at the same location, to prevent damage to the delicate eye structures.

• Quick instrument change :-

Meenink has also designed a unique 'instrument changer' for the slave allowing the robot arms to change instruments, for example from forceps to scissors, within only a few seconds. This is an important factor in reducing the time taken by the procedure. Some eye operations can require as many as 40 instrument changes, which are normally a time consuming part of the overall procedure.

• High precision movements :-

The surgeon's movements are scaled-down, for example so that each centimeter of motion on the joystick is translated into a movement of only one millimeter at the tip of the instrument. "This greatly increases the precision of the movements", says Meenink. 

Robot Eye-Surgery

• Haptic feedback :-

The master also provides haptic feedback. Ophthalmologists currently work entirely by sight the forces used in the operation are usually too small to be felt. However Meenink's robot can 'measure' these tiny forces, which are then amplified and transmitted to the joysticks. This allows surgeons to feel the effects of their actions, which also contributes to the precision of the procedure.

• Comfort :-

The system developed by Meenink and Hendrix also offers ergonomic benefits. While surgeons currently are bent statically over the patient, they will soon be able to operate the robot from a comfortable seated position. In addition, the slave is so compact and lightweight that operating room staff can easily carry it and attach it to the operating table.

• New procedures :-

Ophthalmologist prof.dr. Marc de Smet (AMC Amsterdam), one of Meenink's PhD supervisors, is enthusiastic about the system not only because of the time savings it offers, but also because in his view the limits of manual procedures have now been reached. "Robotic eye surgery is the next step in the evolution of microsurgery in ophthalmology, and will lead to the development of new and more precise procedures", de Smet explains.

• Market opportunities :-

Both slave and master are ready for use, and Meenink intends to optimize them in the near future. The first surgery on humans is expected within five years. He also plans to investigate the market opportunities for the robot system. Robotic eye surgery is a new development; eye surgery robots are not yet available on the market.

Bhutan's King Wangchuck marriage with Pema happenned today in style

Poems of joy were by children, exclusive dances by flight attendants and bank clerks, the airwaves were flooded with wedding fever as the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan prepared for the marriage of its beloved fifth Dragon King. 

The ceremony on Thursday, while far less star-studded than the year's other royal wedding - of William and Kate - will be no less elaborate in its uniquely Bhutanese way.

During the hours of ceremonies, the 31-year-old king, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, will be adorned with royal scarves. His bride, 21-year-old Jetsun Pema, will present him a chalice filled with the ambrosia of eternal life that he will drink, and he will place a crown upon the new queen's head.

Wangchuck marriage

"It's a very emotional experience, a spiritual experience as well,"Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley told media.Yet there will be no foreign princes, no visiting heads of state, no global celebrities, just the royal family, thousands of nearby villagers and the rest of the country's 700,000 people watching live on TV.

"The whole theme of the wedding was to keep it a simple family affair, that is the Bhutanese family,"said Kinley Dorji, Bhutan's secretary of information.

Bhutanese have been waiting for their bachelor king to find a bride and start a family of his own since his father retired and handed power to him five years ago.

The Oxford-educated king is adored for pushing development and ushering in democratic reforms. His teen-idol looks - slicked back hair, long sideburns - his penchant for evening bike rides through the streets and his reputation as a laid back, accessible leader, also make him the rare monarch whose picture adorns the bedroom walls of teenage girls.

Mahindra launches Verito Executive

Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra  today launched a limited edition of its Verito sedan called Verito Executive, priced in the range of Rs 5.95-7.09 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The new variant, targeted at corporate professionals or businessmen, will be available in two colours--pearl white and walnut brown, the company said in a statement.

The Verito Executive diesel variants have been priced at Rs 6.94 lakh (Diesel BS3) and Rs 7.09 lakh (Diesel BS4), while the petrol variants with 1.6 litre engine are priced at Rs 5.95 lakh (BS 3) and Rs 5.99 lakh (BS4).

Verito

The launch of the Verito Executive Edition will add a more premium status quotient to the sedan. Together, with the propositions of space and mileage, which Verito is already known for, this new edition will provide premium interior and exterior features to our customers, M&M Senior Vice-president for Marketing, Automotive Sector, Vivek Nayer said.

Just over a year after breaking up its joint venture with the French Renault, M&M had renamed the Logan sedan as Verito this April.

Last April, M&M and Renault had agreed to part ways from their joint venture -- Mahindra Renault-- that was formed in 2005 to produce and sell the Logan in India as the car failed to meet expectations. M&M agreed to buy out Renault's 49% stake in the JV for an undisclosed sum.

Congress slams opposition parties for supporting Hazare

The Congress party has slammed the opposition for extending support to social activist Anna Hazare's crusade over the Lokpal Bill, even after it being tabled in Parliament.

Talking to reporters here, Congress party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said political parties are exploiting the movement for their own benefit.

"Today, though it may seem temporarily expedient or politically advantageous for you (political parties), we ask you to consider the repercussions on democracy and the political process itself," said Singhvi.

He said that their (the Opposition) support to Hazare over the bill, which is now a property of the Parliament, is the ignorance of history and a humungous ignorance of the Constitutional process and law of the country.

Justifying the Delhi Police's act of arresting Hazare and his associates, Singhvi said: "If Delhi Police, of course in its wisdom, has imposed certain reasonable restrictions nobody is suggesting that I, you, Delhi Police or civil society is infallible; they are very wrong if anybody is aggrieved by any lack of reasonableness in any restriction, what is the only method known, it is to go to the only dispute redressal mechanism namely the courts."

Importance of Local issues in India

It is common knowledge today that waste material can help in power generation. Still, it is quite an irony that localities face a double whammy of power cuts and poor public hygiene (unseemly waste disposal), that too in a global city like Delhi.

Our society is always mismanaged. There are many issues that are specifically at local levels but are equally important at national level, for example, unscheduled power cuts. A power outage means a short or long term power loss to an area. These days such power outages are very frequent. There is no specific set time or schedule for power cuts in the society due to which people are suffering much.

Popular headlines read, “Delhi reels under long power cuts”, “Power cuts these days adding to people woes” but people are hardly in a position to make any good use of this information.

The erratic electricity supply creates a chaos among people especially when it’s scorching heat outside. People cannot relax even as diesel rate hikes dis-incentivise generator usage. It becomes very difficult for students to cope with such long power cuts and it hampers their studies.

No doubts though that consumption is increasing by the day. High usage of heavy electrical appliances and the soaring power demand under sultry conditions has aggravated the power woes.

Another major problem prevailing in our society is improper waste management. We can see dust bins clogged with garbage left in the open while the local authorities concerned are least bothered to take any steps. The foul smell apart, the main danger that comes with these open pits is the spread of diseases mainly caused by rodents and bugs. An example of this is malaria, which flourishes in open areas with stagnant water and particularly hot and muggy temperatures.

But luckily the advances in technology have led to many new discoveries. The enormous increase in the quantum and diversity of waste materials generated by human activity and their potentially harmful effects on the general environment and public health, have led to an increasing awareness about an urgent need to adopt scientific methods for safe disposal of wastage. While there is an obvious need to minimize the generation of wastes and to reuse and recycle them, the technologies for recovery of energy from wastes can play a vital role in mitigating the problems. Besides recovery of substantial energy, these technologies can lead to a substantial reduction in the overall waste quantities requiring final disposal, which can be better managed for safe disposal in a controlled manner while meeting the pollution control standard.

The bio gas plants are now gaining much popularity. A bio gas plant is the name often given to an anaerobic digester that treats farm wastes or energy crops. Bio gas is practically produced as landfill gas (LFG) or digester gas. A bio gas plant is the name often given to an anaerobic digester that treats farm wastes or energy crops.

Bio gas can be produced utilizing anaerobic digesters. These plants can be fed with energy crops such as maize silage or biodegradable wastes including sewage sludge and food waste.

Bio gas can be used to produce electricity on sewage works. The Deenabandhu Model is a new biogas-production model popular in India. The unit usually has a capacity of 2 to 3 cubic metres. It is constructed using bricks or Ferro cement mixture. In India the brick model costs slightly more than the Ferro cement model, however India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy offers some subsidy per model constructed.

Dispersants being used to Neutralise the Oil-Spill at Mumbai Coast

Dispersants have been used to neutralise the oil at Mumbai coast. Since Indian Coast Guard has been using dispersants to neutralise most of the oil patches to minimise the impact, only the left over oil will reach the coast. Regional Centre of National Institute of Oceanography, Mumbai is regularly collecting water samples to assess the impact of oil.

Oil Spill Modelling and trajectory prediction System of Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management, (ICMAM) Project Directorate under the Ministry of Earth Sciences is used to generate likely trajectory scenarios for the prediction of movement of spilled oil, its spreading, direction, from sunken ship. Wind and Current are the primary factors responsible for spreading of oil.  Tidal current and winds predominantly drive the patches.

In the model tidal current generated by ICMAM PD using Mike 21 software and winds predicted by NCMWRF have been used.  In the model only oil from ship used and it does not account for Coast Guard intervention of using dispersants to neutralise the oil.  Model outputs indicated that coastal waters and beaches around Juhu, Thane creek and also Uran are likely to be affected by the oil spill, provided that no dispersant to neutralise the oil is used.

These information are provided to the Coast Guard time to time (since 7th Aug, 11) to combat the oil.  Coast Guard spotted oil patches 7-8 NM off Mumbai harbour on 8th Aug 11.  Most of the observed patches were found moving towards North West direction since 6 pm 8th Aug.11 which agrees with the model prediction. The situation of oil spill has changed now, since only 0.5 ton/hr spillage has been reported by the Coast Guard and oil is being neutralised.

It takes about 48 hrs for the untreated oil patches to reach the shore from the spill location.  This will be a continuous situation at the current rate of leakage and prevailing wind and current conditions.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) reported spillage of approx 1-2 tonnes/hr of Diesel oil on 7th Aug, 11 onwards. The Fuel oil tanks are said to be intact and no leakage reported.

Walmart : Final FDI policy to decide entry into multi-brand

US retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc today said its entry into India's multi-brand retail would depend on the FDI policy and the conditions required for getting into the segment.

The company, which operates a 50:50 joint venture with Bharti Enterprises for wholesale cash-and-carry and back-end supply chain management operations in India, is currently watching developments regarding allowing of foreign direct investments (FDI) in multi-brand retail.

"It all depends on when the FDI is allowed and how it is allowed,"Walmart India President Raj Jain told media when asked if Walmart would re-consider its current business model in India if the FDI in multi-brand retail is allowed.

Recently, a Committee of Secretaries (CoS) had proposed allowing up to 51 per cent FDI in the politically sensitive multi-brand retail segment with a rider that a minimum of USD 100 million investment should be made.

Moreover, the CoS had also recommended that 50 per cent of FDI component would have to be deployed in the back-end infrastructure, like warehousing and cold storage.

The existing policy allows 51 per cent FDI in single brand retail and 100 per cent in wholesale cash-and-carry but none in multi-brand.

Jain said Walmart is happy with its current partnership with Bharti.

The Bharti-Walmart joint venture currently operates seven cash and carry stores under the'Best Price Modern Wholesale'brand. It also supplies to the retail stores operated by Bharti Retail.