[Tyler]

Heart Surgeons Recruit Slithering Robot
     

Carnegie Mellon's CardioArm is aimed at
helping surgeons perform heart surgery using only a single, tiny incision.  
The system outperforms standard endoscopic tools because it can be
programmed to follow the surgeon-directed head automatically.  
The 102 joints are able to wrap around organs and slither through narrow
pathways
avoiding delicate tissue.  
The benefits will be reduced blood loss, decreased pain and shorter
hospital stays.
Startup Cardiorobotics is
perfecting the snake-like robot and has already performed successful
surgeries on pigs and human cadavers.  The ultimate goal is to
miniaturize the system to fit inside of blood vessels.
   

http://robots.net/article/2513.html