Visitors to Carnegie Mellon University’s computer science building Tuesday morning were greeted by an oddly shaped, 4-foot nurse. CMU researchers say Pearl the Nursebot – a robot operated by four car batteries and equipped with tiny cameras in her eyes – could someday help take care of the elderly, keep track of their medicines and alert doctors to emergencies. The $20,000 robot was one of several high-tech gadgets introduced yesterday at the school, where officials unveiled a new $25 million medical robotics center. The center in Oakland will be the development site for high-tech medical gadgets, from robots like Pearl to X-ray glasses for surgeons. CMU President Jerry Cohon said technology developed at the Medical Robotics and Information Technology Center (MERIT) will be critical to improving people’s health by building technology that helps doctors reduce errors and makes surgery less invasive. ‘This is only the beginning,’ Cohon said. ‘What you see here today will help us to solve problems that are widespread in terms of health and disease.’ School officials said the center could generate more than 5,000 new jobs in the next five years and create revenues exceeding $60 million across the nation. They emphasized that none of the technology is intended to take over the work done by humans. ‘MERIT is a partnership between medicine and technology,’ said Ken Gabriel, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. ‘It’s going to bring medical practitioners and technology together so they can work together to do what they do best.’ Among the tools generating buzz is so-called image overlay technology, which gives surgeons X-ray vision – without the X-ray. Dr. Tony DiGioia, an orthopedic surgeon, described the technology as a blend of reality and virtual reality. Surgeons are able to combine images generated by computed tomography, CT, or magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, scans with real-time video of the patient’s anatomy to generate 3D images. That gives doctors the most accurate pictures of the patient’s internal structure without the need of large incisions, DiGioia said. ‘These tools will enable us to truly improve patient’s outcomes,’ said DiGioia, the newly appointed director of the Institute for Computer Assisted Orthopedic Surgery at West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield. DiGioia also displayed the HipNav, a navigation system that gives surgeons real-time information to locate bones and determine the best location for hip implants. DiGioia said the equipment, which has been used in about 200 patients in clinical trials, reduces the possibility of errors and cuts in half the size of incisions. As for Pearl, its creators say future versions of it could be rented to elderly people. With its built-in microphones, the robot could help patients communicate with their doctors through Internet connections. ‘It’s not meant to replace a human nurse,’ said Mike Montemerlo, 26, a CMU graduate student who helped build Pearl. ‘But it would definitely cut the cost of home visits by nurses.’ Luis Fábregas can be reached at lfabregas@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7998.

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