Medical robotics: Would you trust a robot with a scalpel?

Driverless cars? Google has already wheeled one out. Robo-cops? Prototypes are on the scene. Love-bots? It might seem like a solution dreamed up by Aldous Huxley, but it’s already a reality. It might conjure up an image of Star Wars’ C-3PO in scrubs, but many of these medical machines are actually closer to the robots used to build your car. Not that a lack of automation is anything to be sniffy about; these machines still use powerful computers to carry out difficult jobs. Where the researchers are taking their cue from the seriously sexy technology of driverless cars is, for example, in the development of domestic robots for palliative care, be it helping you make a cup of tea or alerting the doctor if you skip your medication. For surgeons, who are often backing the development of these robots, the benefits of a machine like the da Vinci system are manifold. But it isn’t just about high precision. It isn’t just keyhole surgery that can benefit from cutting-edge tech.

medical 1 medical 2 10 Medical Robots That Could Change Healthcare From microbots that scrape plaque from arteries to personal assistant robots that help care for patients, medical robots are transforming the face of healthcare. 1 of 11 Robots aren't new to healthcare. Remember the da Vinci Surgical System, the surgical assistant the FDA approved back in 2000? Since then, the system has conducted more than 20,000 surgeries and has paved the way for robotic advancements in healthcare. For example, Magnetic Microbots are a group of tiny robots used in various operations, such as removing plaque from a patient's arteries or helping with ocular conditions and disease screenings. "In the next few years, thousands of 'service robots' are expected to enter the healthcare sector -- picture R2-D2 from Star Wars carrying a tray of medications or a load of laundry down hospital corridors," according to a recent article from The Wall Street Journal. And that's no surprise considering the mounting financial difficulties the industry faces. More Insights

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