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ROBOTIC BRAIN & SPINAL SURGERY
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ROBOTIC HEART & LUNG SURGERY
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ROBOTIC EYE & EAR SURGERY
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ROBOTIC ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY
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ROBOTIC PEDIATRIC SURGERY
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Medical robotics is solving these and far more complex problems. Robotic
surgery and robotic surgical technologies, including robot-assisted
surgery (RAS) and the ability to perform surgery robotically from a
remote location (a practical application of telepresence, the
remote operation of a robotic system with the aid of an immersive human
interface*), are gaining both acceptance and prestige throughout the
medical community. Time and again, robotic surgery has proven its worth
by enabling surgeons to perform medical procedures that in prior decades
would never have been contemplated. The benefits of robotic surgical
procedures, having accrued in the early stages of robotic surgery to a
select group of patients, are being felt more widely as robotic surgical
procedures become time tested. Payment approval by your medical
insurance group or HMO for a robotic surgical procedure is now far more
likely than was the case just five years ago.
Medical technology continues to advance, resulting in newer procedures and
development of robotic devices capable of performing them. As robotic
surgery becomes more cost effective, robots will be created to perform
commonplace surgeries so that a surgeon’s skill can be devoted to
performing more critical and challenging surgical tasks.
Exactly how have robotic surgical technologies evolved? Surgeons and
medical experts are constantly seeking new ways to treat diseases and
injuries. A surgeon’s professional reputation can be made or greatly
enhanced by developing a new surgical procedure. A patient is diagnosed
with a condition that demands a type of surgical procedure never before
attempted or even conceived. A company, seeking to develop a marketable
medical product, turns to its technical staff and outside experts to
discover what is needed and how it can be designed. These driving forces
help to constantly propel medical technology forward. Robotic surgery is
a natural outgrowth of this technological evolution.
The array of surgical instruments and equipment available to the modern
surgeon has come about through a long process of development by past
medical professionals. In like manner, today’s surgeons and
medical experts are teaming with researchers, private and public companies,
universities and government agencies such as the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),
and even the military to develop tools and techniques destined for the
operating rooms of the future, which may even be located on the
battlefield or in space.
Some of that future is here now, as surgeons turn to the field of medical
robotics in an attempt to heal diseases and injuries that have hitherto
defied medical science. Robotic surgical systems are at present
extremely expensive, with each type of system typically designed to
perform only a single type or a very limited range of surgical procedures.
This will change as new technologies, particularly in the areas of
computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and servo control, make it
possible to build better surgical robots with an enhanced range of
capabilities.
Medical robotics is only one area of technology of interest to today’s
surgeon — but it is a promising one. Increasingly, surgeons
recognize the limitations they are faced with upon venturing into the
operating room. In the past, the surgeon’s knowledge and skilled,
steady hand were what was necessary to get the job done; today, those
assets may not be enough. Modern surgical procedures are far more
intricate than those of the past. A complex surgical procedure may
last over 15 hours and require a team of surgeons. Such surgeries place a
great deal of stress upon the surgeons and their support staff, but also
upon the patient.
Robotic surgery and RAS can reduce both time spent in surgery and time
required for a patient to recover from an operation because they
reduce the complexity of the overall surgical procedure by reducing its
physical scope. Robotic surgery is more precise, requiring smaller
incisions, and is less invasive, so there is less cutting involved and a
smaller amount of tissue damage than occurs during conventional surgery.
These factors result in less trauma to the body and faster healing.
Will robots eventually replace human surgeons? No. Today’s
robots are tools used by surgeons, not surgeons themselves. They can
perform their tasks only when guided by skilled hands and minds. While in
the distant future robots may gain more autonomy in their surgical
abilities, and may even be provided with sufficient intelligence to perform
some surgeries unsupervised, it is highly unlikely that they will ever
replace the skill of the surgeon. It is quite conceivable, however, that
the surgeon’s place will no longer be in the operating room,
but instead will be at a remote location in a VR (virtual reality)
environment orchestrating surgical procedures — perhaps more than
one simultaneously — through electronic linkages similar to the
fly by wire technology recently developed for today’s
military and commercial pilots.
In the meantime, we or someone we know may become beneficiaries of bold new
technologies relating to robotic surgery, RAS and telepresence such as
those you can read about here. As technology advances, our options for
minimally invasive surgery, thanks to the latest robotic surgical
technologies, will only become brighter.
Authored by Kenneth L. Anderson.
Original article published 11 June 2003, updated 1 September
2005.
Follow links to the right to learn more about current and future robotic
surgical procedures. At the left margin, Related Links address
topics of interest pertaining to robotics and automation. View the
Robotics
& Automation SiteMap for a complete list of robotics and
automation topics.
See Tech,
Science & Engineering Jobs if you are seeking a professional
career in robotics applications or robotics research. See our
Physician
Jobs & Medical Doctor Jobs if you are seeking a surgical career.
* Telepresence definition courtesy of
The
Encyclopedia of Virtual Environments, Human Interface Technology
Laboratory (HITL or HIT Lab), College of Engineering, University of
Washington (UW)
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