MDA moving into new territories. Once this design is complete, IMHO this could be huge.
I wonder if they are helping in Libya or Japan. They should.
MDA to partner in advanced technology solution for paediatric surgery
Mar. 22, 2011 (PR Newswire) --
RICHMOND, BC, March 22 /PRNewswire/ - MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a provider of essential information solutions, announced today that it has signed a contract for $4.7 million (CAD) with The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, to collaborate on the design and development of an advanced technology solution for paediatric surgery.
MDA and SickKids will team up to develop KidsArm, a sophisticated tele-operated surgical system specifically designed for operating on small children and babies. KidsArm is intended to be used by surgeons, in conjunction with a high precision real-time imaging technology, to reconnect delicate vessels such as veins, arteries, or intestines.
The initial prototype developed under the contract will include an advanced miniature suturing capability to operate on tiny vessels.
Steve Oldham, the vice president responsible for this business at MDA said, 'Our fundamental strategy is to apply our advanced space robotics capabilities to highly demanding terrestrial challenges in the medical, nuclear, mining, and other sectors. Once proven, we aim to become a partner in the commercialization of these advanced solutions.'
KidsArm is a project of the Centre for Image-Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention (CIGITI) at SickKids. CIGITI is designed to foster collaboration between surgeons, engineers, imaging scientists and the private sector to develop innovative surgical technologies that incorporate "smart" surgical tools.