How Robotics is Changing the Operating Room
Surgery is one of the most common medical procedures and It
saves millions of lives a year. But not all types of surgery are created equal.
Surgeries on major organs like the heart or brain are incredibly risky and
difficult for doctors to perform, but a new form of robotics could be changing
that. Robots in operating rooms are still a rare sight, but a few hospitals in
the United States have started using them with promising results.
There are
several kinds of robots for surgery but the one I will focus on is called a
supervisory-controlled robot. Instead of a doctor making incisions and stiches,
the robot performs these surgeries with the instruction of a nearby doctor. Based
on what kind of surgery is required, a doctor gives inputs to the robot, which
then executes a preinstalled series of movements and actions to perform the surgery.
The robot is not an AI system- it can’t make adjustments to its actions to
prevent something from going on so a doctor still has to be in the operating
room watching to make sure everything goes smoothly. Even though this input and
output system seems basic, it has a couple significant benefits to the patient.
The big benefit of using these robots is to cut out any human error that could
occur. The machine is much more sensitive and precise than any human could be
and so it is able to make smaller incisions to complete the surgery. This leads
to a shorter surgery which greatly decreases the chance of any complications,
as well as the recovery time for the patient. Even though none of the surgical
robots in use can perform a surgery autonomously, they can provide a safer
surgical environment and they will only become more advanced in the future.
Sources:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/modern-technology/robotic-surgery2.htm
https://www.unitypoint.org/cedarrapids/services-st-lukes-da-vinci-robotic-technology.aspx
http://www.intuitivesurgical.com/company/media/videos/systems/xi-overview.html
https://www.google.com/search?espv=2&biw=1218&bih=646&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=supervisory+controlled+robotic+surgery&oq=supervisory+controlled+&gs_l=img.3.0.0i24k1.53052.56567.0.57763.23.19.0.4.4.0.110.1301.17j1.18.0....0...1c.1.64.img..1.22.1307...0j0i67k1j0i5i30k1j0i8i30k1.Pt1REA-MRvE#imgrc=KC0-uwSp2VHKbM%3A
Hi Andy,
ReplyDeleteThis technology is certainly a great progress for the medical field. However, I think these kinds of machines should be under careful investigation, until we can confirm that its error rate is a lot smaller than human error. Just like the example of a rocket failing, if there's some small bug in the code controlling the technology, it could risk a patient's life. That's why technology is so powerful yet can also be dangerous.
I definitely agree with Tracy on this one--it's pretty cool, but it's also got the potential to do some real damage. (Then again, what innovative technology doesn't?) I must say that I'm glad these robots seem to be just tools to help flesh-and-blood surgeons accomplish tasks. I'm not sure people of our society, myself included, would be ready to entrust their lives wholly to an AI surgeon.
ReplyDelete