Hospitals might not have to spend precious funds on expensive neuro-surgery equipment thanks to a mechanical engineer from the Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Ajay Mahajan, a professor has developed an ultrasonic-based locational system to identify problems within the brain and thankfully it isn’t too invasive. Though neuro-navigation for brain mapping is not new, the technique involves using a camera, which invites human error. Mahajan’s system replaces the camera with a head restraint from which ultrasonic sensors branch off and map a probe’s movement through the brain in three dimensions. It works like the GPS system except that instead of satellites, ultrasonic receivers are used. It might cost just about 10% of what a neurosurgery equipment might cost. The project is still in a nascent stage and the prototype has not been created either.
