Calgary / Student-led / Since 2024
Developing a surgical robotic arm for surgery in space, controlled remotely by a surgeon.
A surgical robot, not a prosthetic or a replacement for a human limb.
Inside the arm01 / The hardware
From the first bearing to the tool interface, each assembly is part of the same engineering problem.
Stepper motors, gearbox assemblies and bearing supports form the foundation of the arm and its first moving joints.
Joint housings and tubular links connect the structure, carrying movement from the shoulder toward the end of the arm.
The upper assembly combines a differential, bevel gears and pulleys with a biomedical locking mechanism at the tool interface.
A research prototype, with further validation required before clinical use. Motion ranges shown are illustrative.
02 / The engineering
The arm is only one part of the project. Robot models, embedded code and remote surgeon control all have to work together.
ROS 2 / Robot models
A digital robot description records the links and joints. The ground-station workspace brings that model into RViz, giving the team a common starting point for visualizing movement and connecting software to the mechanical design.
Embedded / Motor control
Early Arduino sketches explore joystick input, stepper movement and speed changes. These experiments are part of the work toward connecting commands from a remote surgeon with the physical joints of the surgical robotic arm.
Teleoperation / Research
The intended system would keep a surgeon in control of the arm during remote surgery in space. Motion limits and resilient communication are research priorities to develop and test alongside the mechanics and the medical requirements.
03 / In progress
Our public repositories offer a closer look at the work, from development experiments to the software foundation.
Foundation in development
Robot descriptions, launch files and visualization setup. The public workspace currently uses placeholder geometry while mechanical exports are integrated.
Early control sketches
Exploratory Arduino code for joystick-driven stepper motion and speed adjustment. These sketches are development work, not a validated arm-control system.
Build with us
Interested in the engineering, the medical questions, or supporting the project? Get to know the team.
