McMaster partners with Bell Canada in telerobotic surgery, telemedicine

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/engineering_bell.jpg” caption=”A $450,000 research contribution from Bell University Laboratories will help McMaster University Engineering explore combining human intelligence with robotic accuracy. Assistant professor and researcher Shahin Sirouspour, left, demonstrates a robotic application to engineering dean Mo Elbestawi. Photo credit: Ron Scheffler”]McMaster has announced a partnership with Bell Canada to undertake research in areas such as telerobotic surgery and telemedicine. Bell University Laboratories will contribute $450,000 over three years to McMaster to support the creation of an integrated systems laboratory, part of the proposed McMaster School of BioMedical Engineering.

“Bell's networking expertise, its interest in telerobotic surgery and its ongoing investment in emerging technologies make it an outstanding partner in biomedical engineering applications at McMaster University,” said Peter George, President and Vice-Chancellor, McMaster University.

Bell University Laboratories is well-positioned to work with McMaster researchers and engineers, as the announcement builds on a relationship established with the University in 2001.

Bell University Laboratories is an innovative private-public partnership between Bell Canada and universities across the country. Communications industry professionals and university researchers collaborate on research projects, a model which facilitates innovation. Bell University Laboratories thus contributes to the development of communications technologies in Canada and allows for the development of new perspectives and discoveries.

“Bell is at the forefront of innovation and is well positioned to support important biomedical engineering advancements in telerobotics, teleinformatics, communications networks, telepathology and other complex IP-based technologies,” said Brian O'Shaughnessy, vice-president, Bell Canada. “Technology will continue to transform the way we live, share information and treat patients.”

The announcement represents the second major investment in two months received by McMaster for its new School of BioMedical Engineering. MDA, the company that developed the famous Canadarm used in space by NASA, provided $450,000 for a medical robotics laboratory.

“Our engineering faculty welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with Bell Canada through Bell University Laboratories,” said Mo Elbestawi, dean of engineering. “Bell is a leader. Their highly sophisticated technology has paved the way for a revolutionary new generation of networks with significant potential application in the field of biomedical engineering.”

The mandate of the proposed school in biomedical engineering is to create interdisciplinary research and educational programs of internationally recognized excellence. The school's objective is to create a unique collaborative environment that leverages existing expertise in medical sciences and engineering. It will link current and emerging areas of molecular, medical and engineering research. McMaster is home to acknowledged world leading faculties in engineering and medicine.

“Today's announcement is another step toward finding solutions that will improve health care delivery,” said John Kelton, dean and vice-president of McMaster's Faculty of Health Sciences. “Research in this area is leading to improved access to top expertise, especially in remote areas, and is improving efficiencies in health care services.”