BioInspired! So What? Now What!

The EDEN2020 (Enhanced Delivery System for Neurosurgery in 2020) started 15 years ago when Prof. Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena attended a lecture by Julian Vincent on how the wood wasp manages to drill holes in wood using a rather flimsy ovipostor.  Rodriguez y Baena's father was a neurosurgeon who had to deal with the existing methods that required straight-line access from the entry point in the skull to the target area in the brain.  This led to the design of a steerable probe that could visualise and operate deep within the brain while dramatically reducing the risk of collateral damage.  Additional information is available at Biomimetic flexible and steerable probe for neurosurgery (ROBOCAST) and EDEN2020 performs the very first live flexible needle insertion.