# How a Robot Arm in Space Inspired Tech for Surgery on Earth

Published 2018-03-13 · Updated 2026-03-12 · Healthcare on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/healthcare/robot-arm-space-inspired-tech-surgery-earth

> The technology used to help create the international space station in 1981 and its predecessor, which now captures visiting cargo spacecraft, has found another very different and very earth-bound use. The Canadarm2, launched in 2001, is serving as the inspiration for a highly precise neurosurgery tool. Its enhanced tracking ability reportedly makes it a safer…

The technology used to help create the international space station in 1981 and its predecessor, which now captures visiting cargo spacecraft, has found another very different and very earth-bound use. The Canadarm2, launched in 2001, is serving as the inspiration for a highly precise neurosurgery tool. Its enhanced tracking ability reportedly makes it a safer tool for patients with more efficiency for surgeons. A first-generation version of the device, the Brightmatter Drive, was created in 2015 by Maxar Technologies in conjunction with Tortonto based Synaptive, with a newer version released in 2017.

 Read more at [Space.Com](https://www.space.com/39899-space-robotic-arm-inspires-surgery-tool.html)

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