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Innovation

Neurosurgeon Fellow Co-Leads Development of Fully Robotic Intraoperative MRI

March 17, 2026

childrens-national---robotic-mri.jpg

Children’s National Hospital

Combining innovations of technologies that are changing modern surgery, surgeons and engineers are advancing the development of a first-of-its-kind magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible robotic platform for use in image-guided, minimally invasive brain interventions in pediatric patients.

Neurosurgeon Chima Oluigbo, MD, FACS, is co-leading the research team at Children’s National Hospital Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation in Washington, DC.

Currently dubbed “Brainbot,” the tool is designed to leverage the soft-tissue clarity provided by MRI, avoid the radiation concerns of computed tomography, and provide the improved flexibility and range of motion of a robotic platform in a notably confined operative space. The technology is meant to allow for robotic surgery to occur within the MRI scanner, which provides ongoing imaging guidance and can guide intraoperative decision-making.

The project is supported by a $2 million NIH R01 grant in collaboration with Children’s National Research Institute and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and is preparing for in-human trials, pending grant renewal.

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