It’s no secret that robots have been integrated with some of the more professionally challenging careers. Robots have been used by firefighters, manufacturers, and doctors for years now, and they have positively influenced the field. They greatly reduce the probability of error during sensitive procedures and help professionals tackle more complicated medical procedures. All round, they are safer to use, and they make great assistants for doctors and surgeons during challenging operations.
Popular Types of Medical Robots
Although health care robots are not as popular as industrial or cobots, as indicated by Rozum, they are still relevant and highly regarded in the health community. In fact, you might have heard of a couple of them.
The Robotic Medical Assistant
The Robotic Medical assistant is one of the most popular medical or health care robots currently used by my medical practitioners. Such medical assistants are mostly set up in hospital rooms and help nurses, doctors and other medical practitioners monitor medical patients. The machine helps monitor their vitals and alert nurses when and if sudden changes occur. This type of robot is very popular in large understaffed hospitals.
The Robotic Medical Chart
The medical cart is a robotic cart that helps with the transportation of sensitive medical items from one point to the other. They are the perfect conveyors of sensitive or potentially damaging items and substances because they have been programmed to transport these items without mistakes. The medical cart is used in research facilities and in hospitals with limited staffs,
The Surgical or Medical Bot
Surgical medical bot is one of the most expensive and prevalent types of medical robots. This type of robot has been around for a while now, but it is only beginning to receive the attention it deserves. This miracle robot helps doctors during surgeries by making accurate tiny incisions and reducing the margin of error.
The Da Vinci Surgical System is one such machine. It was initially introduced nearly 15 years ago, and since then it has helped surgeons and patients who are in need of precise medical procedures. Google, in conjunction with Johnson&Johnson, commissioned a surgical robot system in 2018.
Aside from some of the more exciting and illustrious functions or roles of robots in the health industry, they have also been used for routine tasks like disinfecting a room and dispensing drugs.
The Future of Robots in the Health Industry
Although the role of robotics in the medical industry is limited at the moment, it is bound to bring about a lot of change and advancements in the coming years. Some of the technologies that are being developed at the moment have the potential of revolutionizing medicine and health in so many ways.
Learning to Walk Again with the Exoskeleton
The exoskeleton is an interactive robotic machine with the potential to revolutionize modern medicine. At first glance, The exoskeleton might seem like some half-baked invention inspired by video games, and interesting sci-fi action thrillers, but upon closer inspection, you will realize that it is ground-breaking innovative robotics that can help paralyzed people feel more capable and in control.
Rewalk robotics has developed an exoskeleton that has been featured on BBC. It has been in development for quite a while, but as of 2019, it has been cleared for sales to rehab centres all over America.
Telemedical Robots
Telemedical robots are also one of the more popular technologies also being developed alongside the exoskeleton. Although they are technically not a physical robot, they are incredibly useful because they provide accurate life-saving advice and consultation services to people suffering from sensitive conditions like stroke, cardiovascular problems or serious dermatological accidents.
As of now, the robots have been programmed to be accessible to all those with a stable internet connection. The InTouch Health, Doctor on Demand, Health tap, American well Teladoc, and Avizia are all great third party web services are reliable telemedical robots with the potential to save thousands of lives.
Digital Pills or Nanorobots
Nanorobots are tiny technician operated robots that can be placed in digestible pills and fed to a patient who is in need of medical help. Once the nanorobots are in the patient, they are able to deliver payloads of drugs to sensitive areas in the human body. They can also be used by experienced technicians to repair intestinal injuries.
Although digital digestible pills have not been perfected, they have the potential to change the face of medicine in the future. Currently, the Origami robot developed by the Max Planck Institute is one of the world’s first and only Nanorobot outfitted for medical purposes specifically.
Can a Medical Robot Replace Actual Experts in the Field of Medicine?
In the past, this question might have not been considered valid, but with the advancement in science and technology, it is becoming increasingly obvious that machines with robot motor might just take the place of trained medical practitioners. While it is true that robots are incredibly precise and cost-effective, they are far from perfect. There is the place of simple human interaction in simple day to day activity like diagnosis and checkups.
They function on a limited set of instructions and are not able to think or react autonomously. If a medical emergency happens, and they are not programmed to handle it, there is literally nothing they can do.
Robots are also incredibly expensive. While it is technically true that they are the less cost-effective option, most hospitals cannot simply justify spending hundreds on robots they don’t really need to use. Most hospitals are too small to judiciously use medical robots, so it would be a waste to purchase them.
