Lasers cut precisely and without contact—ideal for surgery. The problem is that in hard tissues such as bone, they are too ...

Conventional orthopedic surgery relies heavily on mechanical tools like saws, chisels, and drills to cut bone. While these ...

One major challenge has been the shape of the laser beam itself. Researchers at the University of Basel have recently shown ...

The Basel team modified its laser pulse from a Gaussian profile to a top-hat shape, theorizing that a beamshaping operation would prevent laser energy being consumed by the walls of the cut. A "capped ...