In perfecting the science of medicine, advancements always face exhaustive scrutiny and opposition. Typically, these rigors focus on confirming the efficacy of a procedure or treatment to ensure it remains in the patient's best interest for healing or wellness. More recently, with heightened emphasis on government-funded healthcare, medical procedures such as robotic prostatectomy surgery for prostate cancer treatment are under fire for cost. Read more
When Erin Tally took Aidan, her 2-year-old son, home from Children’s Hospital Boston on the day after his urinary surgery, she brought along a new friend: a 4-foot-6, 17-pound, two-wheeled robot that would help deliver care to her recovering child. Over about two weeks that included five video consultations, the robot, made by Vgo Communications Inc., of Nashua, eliminated the need for Tally to drive Aidan into Boston every three days for post-surgical checkups. Read more
We born, we live our lives and at the end - we die. That's the truth. However, the quality of our lives often correlates with our health. Generally, the healthier we are the more we can achieve - thus the happier we can be. That's why health has always been an issue to deal with. Nowadays medicine has gone a very long way compared to the time of Hippocrates of Kos. Now humans are able to do very complicated surgeries, invent cures for various illnesses and so on. The question arises - can medicine go further and in what ways? Read more
The first generation of surgical robots are already being installed in a number of operating rooms around the world. Robotics is being introduced to medicine because it allows for unprecedented control and precision of surgical instruments in minimally invasive procedures. So far, robots have been used to position an endoscope, perform gallbladder surgery and correct gastroesophogeal reflux and heartburn. The ultimate goal of the robotic surgery field is to design a robot that can be used to perform closed-chest, beating-heart surgery. Read more
Engineers at Children’s Hospital Boston have demonstrated the ability to program the magnetic field generated by a clinical MRI scanner to motorize and control a robotic instrument – in this case, a surgical biopsy needle. They presented their work at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems 2011 (IROS 2011) sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Robotics Society of Japan in San Francisco on September 29. Their paper, "MRI-powered Actuators for Robotic Interventions," was recognized as one of five finalists for the IROS 2011 Best Paper Award. Read more
Researchers believe that some routine medical procedures such as breast and prostate biopsies could be performed in the future with minimal human guidance at less cost and greater convenience to patients. Already, the Johns Hopkins Urology Robotics Lab based in Baltimore, Maryland are working on biopsy robots and have developed a medical robot called the PneuStep that can carry out organ biopsies during an MRI scan. The robot is powered by a motor that uses no metal or electricity, operating only on the intense magnetic fields generated by the Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines. The incredible robot is made of "plastics, ceramics and rubber" and is “driven by light and air,” meaning, a series of pistons and gears controlled by a computer in another room. Read more
Da Vinci Robot Surgery. Certainly, the idea of having a robot cut through one’s flesh is terrifying, and I wonder just how trustingly I could be to place MY life into the hands of a doctor that is less than human, but on July of 2001, a cell tumor the size of an orange was successfully removed from Daniel Gutierrez's spine as his surgeon sat eight feet away, remotely manipulating tiny instruments that replicated the surgeon’s every hand and wrist movement. I am still in awe. Read more
Just the term "robotic syringes" to a non-medical person brings about a mechanical nurse and a hypodermic syringe. Yet, beyond this comical reference there is a serious and fantastic advance in medicine going on today, an advance that could save thousands of lives every year. Despite the fact that hospitals are institutions known to save lives, it is not unknown that many medical cases concerning human error, especially in the preparation and administering of IV treatments, have caused considerable damage to patients, some even leading to death. The following excerpts describe a typical error that could have been easily avoided if only a more efficient system in was used. Read more
The thought of letting a robot bathe you is creepy, no matter how gentle the procedure promises to be. That’s the initial reaction of most people anyway, at least until they actually try it. While the exact psychological effect of having an autonomous robot carry out bed baths on patients is still unknown, leading postdoctoral student on the team of Georgia Institute of Technology researchers, Dr. Chih-Hung King, who lay down in bed as a demonstration “patient,” said the experience made him tense in the beginning, but that “his trust of the robot grew and the tension waned after a while. There was little or no discomfort involved, and he never felt afraid.” He was referring to Cody, a robot that actually gives sponge baths to patients. Read more
Robots in Hospitals? Science Fiction is Quickly Becoming Science Fact! Have you ever thought of yourself lying in a hospital bed being treated by a robot instead of a human doctor or nurse? With the advent of modern robotic technology, science has invented medical robots that exist today which help with surgery in hospitals across the world. These robot hospital helpers are proving to be useful, functional, and in many ways the next step in modern medicine. Robots in hospitals and doctors’ offices are now aiding patients in ways that were only a few years ago considered science fiction. Read more