Over 65 million people live with epilepsy worldwide. The growing population of epilepsy victims live with the daily fear of an unexpected seizure. With a success rate of 80 percent, extensive brain surgery is one of the few options available for treatment.

Today, however, a team of engineers from Vanderbilt University is developing a surgical robot to drastically change the lives of those living with the condition without needing to put a drill to the skull. The robot will function as a surgeon unlike any other by conducting minimally-invasive brain surgeries using only a needle to the cheek.

Epilepsy is a neurologic disorder that stems from disturbed nerve cell activity. This disturbance interferes with proper brain function and sends the person into a seizure. According to the Citizens United Research in Epilepsy, nearly 1 in 26 Americans will develop the condition in their lifetime.

Those suffering with even the mildest of epilepsy usually need to undergo surgery due to the dangers it induces. Daily activities, like driving or swimming can easily turn deadly during a seizure.

Because the condition occurs in the hippocampus, which is located at the bottom of the brain, Vanderbilt engineers decided that the surgery could be conducted without needing to enter through the skull. With the help of this robotic brain surgery, patients will enter an MRI scanner that is utilized thanks to its strong magnetic field. From there the surgery will take place by using a shape-memory robotic needle.

Millimeter by millimeter, the nickel-titanium needle maneuvers its way through a curved path through the patient’s cheek and into the hippocampus. Once there, the needle eliminates the disturbance in the brain, hopefully eradicating the condition altogether.

The robotic system is created via 3D printing in order to keep costs low and production rates high. Epilepsy costs the United States are mounting to upwards of $15 billion per year according to CURE.  This robotic development has the potential to greatly reduce medical costs and the suffering of millions.