A computer-driven automated drill, similar to those used to machine auto parts, could play a pivotal role in future surgical procedures. Researchers developed the drill that produces fast, clean, and safe cuts, reducing the time the wound is open and the patient is anesthetized, thereby decreasing the incidence of infection, human error, and surgical cost. This automated machine could reduce a surgical procedure from two hours to two and a half minutes by replacing hand drills for one type of complex cranial surgery.