Virgin Galactic's Suborbital Spaceship First Solo Test Flight (Video)

Virgin Galactic's suborbital spaceship, Enterprise, has made its first solo test flight, in California.



The spaceship was carried to an altitude of 45,000ft (13,700m) by an aeroplane and then dropped to glide back to the Mojave Air and Space Port.

Enterprise will soon be taking people prepared to pay $200,000 (£126,000) on short hops above the atmosphere.

The British billionaire behind the project, Sir Richard Branson, was on hand to witness the drop test.

"This was one of the most exciting days in the whole history of Virgin," the entrepreneur said.

"For the first time since we seriously began the project in 2004, I watched the world's first manned commercial spaceship landing on the runway at Mojave Air and Space Port and it was a great moment."

Virgin Galactic is aiming to become the world's first commercial space line, and has already taken deposits from 370 customers who want to experience a few minutes of weightlessness on a suborbital flight.

A Closer Look at the Benefits of Robotic Surgery

Quite simply, robotic surgery is the use of robots in performing surgical procedures. Today, doctors all over the world are starting to learn to use sophisticated robots to perform or aid in performing surgical procedures on patients because of better accuracy, miniaturization, and incisions. As a result, patients may benefit due to less pain, decreased blood loss and quicker healing time. The computer technology in robots can also facilitate doctors by allowing immediate research, necessary information gathering from its database, and video call to other doctors, if needed.

While robots have a natural advantage of better precision and data gathering, surgeons are still needed for their intelligence and ability to make complex decisions. Hence, surgeries cannot be done by a robot alone. There are three kinds of robotic surgery systems based on the robot's level of involvement; telesurgical systems, supervisory controlled systems, and shared control systems. On one end of the spectrum, robots perform surgical procedures and techniques without any direct involvement from the surgeon. On the other end, it is the surgeon who performs most of the surgical procedure with the assistance of a robot either physically or through the robot's computer system. Further, there are also three main steps that can be pointed out in a general robotic surgery intervention: data gathering and subsequent planning, intra-operative assistance, and post-operative patient control.

Data gathering and subsequent planning

Before the patient undergoes surgery, a series of tests will be performed. During this pre-operative phase, several medical imagery techniques such as MRI, Ultrasonics and scanners will be applied to the patient so that the robot may detect, locate and model the anatomical entities involved in the surgical procedure. At the same time, the robot will create a mechanical model in its computer system based on the gathered results from the medical tests. This will be used to describe and simulate the surgical procedure, as well as discuss potential problems that may occur during the intervention.

Intra-operative assistance

The results obtained and the mechanical model created in the previous phase will then be used as a guide during the operation itself. The surgeon, as a result, can calibrate his techniques and decisions in accordance with the robot's data. The robotic system is able to provide interactive assistance, as well as constrain the movements of the surgeon to allow better and more efficient precision during the surgery. In addition, supplementary 3D visuals of organs from tele-operated robots would allow speedier operations.

Post-operative patient control

The use of a robotic system allows complete recording of previous surgical procedures including crucial moments, for future reference. More importantly, the healing time of a patient that underwent surgery is significantly decreased when done or aided by a robotic system. For instance, in 2007, a surgical team led by Dr. Pier Giulianotti performed a liver resection, removing 60% of a patient's liver with the use of a fully automated robotic system. To the surprise of many, the patient left the hospital just two days after the operation, in very good condition. The patient also stated that due to the four puncture holes rather than a scar brought about by the surgery, he was able to heal quicker and with less pain. GP

About the Author:
Ruhfus are specialists in hydraulic cylinders and recommends Emics, a privately owned laboratory specialising in calibration services.