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Winston-Salem State University

The Concept of Medical Robots

Jasmine Ballard

6 April, 2017
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Things around the world are changing every day. From the foods people eat to the

clothes they wear, people are inventing new and improved advancements all the time. It may not

be today or tomorrow but technology will rule the world. Cellphones are able to do more than it

could in older days and the same with computers. One of the newest inventions created are

medical robots. Medical Robotics have been designed to perform surgeries on patients as it was

a regular doctor/surgeon. In the following paper, three topics will be discussed: how medical

robots were developed, how they could lead to a doctorless hospital, and how medical robots

have impacted healthcare in the present world.

As the world should know, medical robots are becoming an essential tool throughout

todays healthcare shenanigans, but many would like to know how robotics came about.

According to Yulun Wang (2006), healthcare is one of the most important basic needs of society.

Developing new advances to improve the quality of the healthcare system was an absolute must.

Inventing medical robots contributes to three aspects of healthcare: inventing new diagnostic

capabilities, developing new theories, and most importantly, creating technologies that improve

the overall quality and cost of the healthcare system (Wang, 2006). This article states that

medical robotic products have been developed and is still currently developing. Wang (2006),

states that in order to be successful in the marketplace, a medical robotic system not only must

meet the three aspects of healthcare, it must also be user-friendly and interactive. Undergoing

millions and millions of tests, medical robotics have been carefully made to meet the needs of

patients throughout the world.

Medical robotics have become a great tool to invest in throughout hospitals. Because the

product is increasing, there may be a cut for doctors in healthcare. Technology is ruling the

world and is becoming more advanced within the blink of an eye. It is a known fact that
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machines arent meant to get everything right all the time, they just have to be better at

performing tasks than humans. Jonathan Roberts (2016) states that although many hospitals

have not turned to medical robots fully yet, they will overturn society and move in place of

doctors one day. Doing so will lower costs and is more than likely to improve the health status

of patients. The article states that although medical robotics have not been adopted fully by

hospitals, they have been widely used and tested in other industries (Roberts, 2016). Surgeons

are using robots in the operating room already being in control of the operation as the machine,

but as they improve, the machine will have full control of everything. To be realistic, people

should expect hospitals to be a completely different place within the next twenty years.

Although robotics being used in the healthcare field seems to be a bad thing, theres

evidence stating why medical robots are the best outcome to use. Lorelei Kujat (2010), gave

examples of how medical robotics have impacted the healthcare world. Some factors include

medication administration, assisting children with autism, telemedicine, and transferring/lifting

patients (Kujat, 2010). Creating robots to do specific tasks makes it easier on hospital staff

because they wont be injuring themselves while helping other patients. For instance, the robotic

lifters/transporters were created to transport patients that weigh 134 lbs. or more to their bedsides

or wheelchairs (Kujat, 2010). This prevents hospital staff from doing too much lifting of

patients. Also, robots helping autistic children was a good invention because they specifically

specialize in teaching the child more than the parent can (Kujat, 2010). According to Kujat

(2010), children become more compliant with robots that look and move like people who repeat

themselves. The types of robots who help with autistic children are called humanoid robots.

They do everything an actual human does like winking, smiling, and frowning. The child could
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benefit from the medical robot by being able to distinguish between perceptions resulting from

their own actions caused by another persons actions.

Technology has changed throughout the years including the way people think. Medical

robots have changed the medical world dramatically but improvements can be made. Before the

world ends, hospitals are predicted to basically operate on their own with no main assistance to

help. Robotics are becoming more and more popular when performing surgical tasks on patients.

The quality of the robots have greatly impacted the lives of patients. Sometimes doctors arent

able to do the correct procedure for someone but robotics are trained and specialized to be better

than doctors. Doctors will no longer be needed for operations and the overall lifespan will be

increased by a significant amount of years.

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References

Wang, Y., (2006). The Developing Market for Medical Robotics.

www.ieeexplore.ieee.org
Roberts, J. (2016). Robots in health care could lead to a doctorless hospital.

www.theconversation.com
Kujat, L. (2010). How have robotics impacted healthcare? www.fisherpub.sjfc.edu