1. Heart operation performed with robotic arm – The world’s first heart operation to use a remote-controlled robotic arm has been carried out at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, U.K. The technique, designed to cure irregular heartbeats, involved using a Remote Catheter Manipulation System (RCMS) to steer catheters into blood vessels at the top of the groin and into the heart. The procedure, which can take over six hours, is currently carried out by surgeons who risk being exposed to radiation during surgery.  (Source: The Engineer     Photo Credit:  University of Leicester)

2. Stanford study first to analyze individual’s genome for risk of diseases, responses to treatment-  For the first time, researchers have used a healthy person’s complete genome sequence to predict his risk for dozens of diseases and how he will respond to several common medications. The risk analysis, from the Stanford University School of Medicine, also incorporates more-traditional information such as a patient’s age and gender and other clinical measurements. The resulting, easy-to-use, cumulative risk report will likely catapult the use of such data out of the lab and into the waiting room of average physicians within the next decade, say the scientists (Source: EurekAlert!)

3. New Way To Guide A Car: With Your Eyes, Not Hands – German researchers have developed a new technology, “eyeDriver,” that lets drivers steer cars going 31 mph (50 kph) using only their eyes.  (Source: NPR)