Wanna see medical robots? Touch them too.
Koudzo Matahashi, MS.
Koudzo Matahashi, MS.
The Japanese scientists from university of Gifu have created the robot, capable to answer questions and to react to actions of probationers during educational physical examination. The surface of the robot is made of silicone and supplied by the sensor controls reacting to a touch. Thus, the device can serve as simulator as much as possible approaching the reality for working out skills. Besides, the robot is capable to answer questions of probationers, describing symptoms of various diseases, including gastroenteritis and appendicitis, depending on a chosen program. According to the scientists, the device created by them is the first such medical simulator. The simulators placed in university audiences have great success with beginning physicians. As they said, working off the skills on the new device helps to find confidence before meeting with the real patients. The main inventor of a simulator isprofessor Juzo Takahashi (Yuzo Takahashi) intends in the near future to improve the device, having increased number of symptoms which will be simulated with the robot-patient. References on a theme:
http://www.DailyYomiuryOnline.comOther robots include robots for drug delivery. Several hundreds of them are already working in American hospitals.
They look like metal boxes on the wheels that bring drugs from pharmacy to the nurses posts. They are capable to to avoid obstacels and ride on an elevator themself. The price is around $100k.
Yet more robots include diagnostic programs for getting patient 's diagnoses based on the list of complaints. The examples are:
http://www.electronicmd.com,
http://www.rdoctor.com,
http://www.symptomat.com. Cancers, heart and brain diseases, gastrointestinal disorders are dignosed.
There are also some robots that help to perform brain, spine and heart operations.
The medicine is moving toward more and more computerized society. Soon we will see an autonomus robots replacing doctors.