Micromechanical and microelectronic devices equipped with smart sensors and actuators are rapidly entering the field of surgical instruments, surgical interventions as well as implant technologies for therapeutical purposes. As recent examples, a smart distractor for realtime stiffness measurements in spinal surgeries like nucleotomies and scoliosis as well as a motorized and intelligent cement injection device for vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty will be presented. Smart local micro robots are used in ophthalmology and head surgery when accurate incisions and complex trajectories have to be guaranteed with highest precision and reliability. New, robot assisted surgical approaches in refractive surgeries for Presbyopia as well as a robot assisted implantation of a new implantable hearing aid will be presented.

Implants for therapies in neurosurgery are also equipped with highly sophisticated sensor and actuator technologies. The therapy of hydrocephalus will use smart sensors for long-term monitoring of the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. In future, closed-loop systems based on a sensor- and actuator platform will be implemented. Programmable implanted pumps for intrathekal drug delivery will be used for severe pain and cancer treatment. In audiology, fully implanted hearing aids will be completely invisible and nevertheless will correct mild to severe hearing disabilities.Besides current implementations of microsystems in various surgical fields, future trends in navigation, robotics and implants will be discussed.

Professor Jürgen Burger holds a PhD degree in Physics from the University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. His professional experience includes associations with Polytechnic University of New York, Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology CSEM, Neuchâtel and Tegimenta AG, Rotkreuz, Switzerland (Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel). Currently he is a Professor for Microtechnology and Medical Technology at the University of Applied Sciences, HTA Biel, Switzerland where he teaches courses in Bachelor studies in Micro- und Medical Technology and Master studies MSc Biomedical Engineering (University of Bern)