If this all sounds incredibly complex and, well, brilliant, that’s because it is. Consider the challenges. Because the robot has to be compatible with a high magnetic field, it requires extremely specialised materials and motors that won’t be affected by the magnet. In fact, this international project features components manufactured around the world and requires the use of high-grade titanium, a compound known as polyetheretherketone, or PEEK, and ceramic (or piezoelectric) motors. Interestingly, when it came time for the U of C team to find someone to build the actual robotic arm, the normal suspects—French, German, and American firms—couldn’t deliver a product that could perform with the delicacy of a neurosurgeon in such a difficult space. But BC-based MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), responsible for the legendary CanadArm™ technology, were up to the task, experienced as they were in building a robot that could succeed in a harsh environment.

It has taken six years of collaboration between Dr. Sutherland and his colleagues, MDA, and companies in Israel, the US, and Japan, but patents are in place and interest in the technology is being expressed from as far away as China. And the benefits appear to go far beyond the ability to augment brain surgery. In fact, neuroArm will be usable for all kinds of surgery that can benefit from MRI guidance. And then there are ancillary, perhaps even unexpected, benefits that have significant impact on the healthcare system and all of us who rely on it. Consider that the robotic arm is designed to detect and eliminate hand tremors. Such unintended minute motion can have dire consequences, particularly for neurosurgery patients. And the older a surgeon becomes, the more these tremors are likely to manifest. This means a device that can eliminate these unintentional movements can effectively extend the career of valuable medical practitioners. And it also levels the playing field, meaning good surgeons may not achieve the levels of their truly great colleagues—the grand masters—now have a tool that leverages their basic skill and improves outcome. And finally, because every element of neuroArm’s surgical procedure is recorded and fed into a computer, Garnette Sutherland and his team have developed an extraordinary training tool. All in all, we can be forgiven for calling the robot cool!

Since 1993, Garnette and his wife of 28 years, Helen, and their three kids, Christina, Catherine, and Andrew (all U of C students in various fields), have called Calgary home. They like it here and know coming here was the right move, particularly when they when they enjoy all the benefits Calgary offers.  But there’s not much downtime for an innovator who constantly travels to discuss his technology and its application, impacting the world one patient at a time and making us grateful that we can call Garnette Sutherland one of our own.