A groundbreaking system that could deliver surgery without scars has been developed by engineers at the Automation and Robotics Research Institute at the University of Texas, Arlington, in collaboration with physicians and the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2007

A groundbreaking system that could deliver surgery without scars has been developed by engineers at the Automation and Robotics Research Institute at the University of Texas, Arlington, in collaboration with physicians and the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center. The new technique allows for magnetically maneuvering laparoscopic surgical tools inserted into the abdominal cavity through the bellybutton or throat.

The idea of employing magnets was formulated from a television show featuring teens who used them to hold studs on their lips to avoid getting their lips pierced.