  Commercially available surgical-robot technology currently addresses many
surgical scenarios for adult patients. This same technology cannot be used to
the benefit of neonate patients given the considerably smaller workspace.
Medically relevant procedures regarding neonate patients include minimally
invasive surgery to repair congenital esophagus disorders, which entail the
suturing of the fragile esophagus within the narrow neonate cavity. In this
work, we explore the use of the SmartArm robotic system in a feasibility study
using a neonate chest and esophagus model. We show that a medically
inexperienced operator can perform two-throw knots inside the neonate chest
model using the robotic system.
