Episode Twenty-Five: Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena
Professor Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena of Imperial College London discusses medical robotics, highlighting his work on the Acrobot system for hands-on surgery and the Eden 2020 needle steering platform for neurosurgical drug delivery. He explains how robotic training systems use vibrotactile feedback to teach surgeons procedures like endoscopy, and contrasts telemanipulation with cooperative 'hands-on' robotics. Rodriguez y Baena identifies funding risks and strict MDR regulations as major barriers to commercializing complex medical devices, noting that major players like Stryker and Siemens are now heavily invested in the field.