RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Principles of Computer Numerical Controlled Machining Applied to Cranial Microsurgery
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 280461
DO 10.1101/280461
A1 Leila Ghanbari
A1 Mathew Rynes
A1 Jay Jia Hu
A1 Daniel Sousa Shulman
A1 Gregory Johnson
A1 Micheal Laroque
A1 Gabriella Shull
A1 Suhasa B. Kodandaramaiah
YR 2018
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/03/12/280461.abstract
AB Over the last decade, a plethora of tools have been developed for neuroscientists to interface with the brain. Implementing these tools requires precise removal of sections of the skull to access the brain. These delicate cranial microsurgical procedures need to be performed on sub-millimeter thick bone without damaging the underlying tissue and therefore, require significant training. Automating some of these procedures would not only enable more precise microsurgical operations, but also democratize use of advanced neurotechnologies. Here, we describe the ‘Craniobot’, a cranial microsurgery platform that combines automated skull surface profiling with a computer numerical controlled (CNC) milling machine to perform a variety of cranial microsurgical procedures in mice. The Craniobot utilizes a low force contact sensor to profile the skull surface and uses this information to perform micrometer-scale precise milling operations within minutes. We have used the Craniobot to drill pilot holes to anchor cranial implants, perform skull thinning, and open small to large craniotomies. The Craniobot is built using off-the-shelf components for under $1000 and is controlled using open-source CNC programming software.