Penn used a robotic arm to do a CT scan of the horse: the first time the anatomical photograph of the animal standing down

Recently, the University of Pennsylvania College of Veterinary Medicine has developed a large white robotic arm that allows the horse to perform a CT scan without anesthesia. That is to say, after the sedative is injected, the two robotic arms move around their bodies while the horse is standing, while scanning, and the whole process takes less than one minute. The quality of the scanned image is quite high, and some even 3D imaging.

The robotic CT scan was the first to take an anatomical photograph of the animal standing, which completely reversed the way the veterinarian used the CT scan of the horse. You know, because the horse is so large that it is impossible to put it all in the scanner, the veterinarian must first anesthetize it and let it lie on the side before scanning the side of the horse with the scanner. This process is not only time consuming, but also causes great pain to the horse. Dean Richardson, director of surgery at the New Bolton Center in Penn, has said that many horse-raisers don't want to witness the struggles of horses recovering from anesthesia. In addition, in the process, if the horse accidentally falls, it is very easy to be seriously injured.

“It’s really hard to watch the horse recover slowly from anesthesia.” Dr. Barbara Dallap Schaer, medical director of the New Bolton Center, agrees with Richardson. He felt that the compression of the CT scan of the robotic arm was not as strong as it did not require the horse to remain completely still. What the veterinarians hope is that in the future they can take CT for them while they are running.

In fact, this robotic arm uses the Equimagine system developed by a New York company called 4DDI, some of which are supplied by robot manufacturer ABB. Last spring, the Equimagine system completed its debut at Penn. Currently, Yirogos Papaioannou, CEO of 4DDI, said that they have received orders from all over the world.

Yes, this technology has already made many Malaysian people taste the sweetness - their horses finally have to endure the pain of anesthesia. A horseman from Denver, Allentown, said: "This robotic arm is really amazing! Imaging is also very accurate!"

The more praise is still behind. In the future, this robotic arm may help patients complete CT scans with less stress. At the same time, the doctor can also obtain a clearer picture of the condition of the spine when the patient is in a standing state rather than lying down. Richardson also said that this technology can improve the efficiency of CT scanning. At present, the Penn R&D team has cooperated with other hospitals in this application field. It is simply the gospel of ADHD babies and claustrophobic patients!