I’m not clear on the procedure used for a breast biopsy but I’ve just had the process for prostate biopsy explained to me and I think I’d have to have a general anaesthetic to have one. Now it appears that both these procedures are simple enough so that a robot can do them without human intervention. Finally, we are starting to utilise the benefits of computers as an aid to speed up diagnosis and healing of our bodies. I’m sure that there are dozens of other procedures that are simpler that could be performed by a little robot.
Only problem is that I can see is who will want to be seen by a cold metal tub with some odd arms with very wicked looking tools on the ends when you can have your body invaded by a nice lady doctor. Sure, it could take your blood and analyse it in a few minutes inside its body or perform a biopsy and feed the results back to the doctor in the same day but can it look at you with doe eyes and a bit of mischievous sympathy as it sticks a very large digit up your bottom?
Soon the Doctors surgeries will be full of these performing blood tests, urine samples and, for special models, semen samples. (Might bring my own for that one) They should enable Doctors to be much more productive and make diagnosis much easier and faster. If they can perform other simple surgeries well, and I don’t see why they couldn’t, it would also save time for hospital visits as they could have minor surgeries at the Doctors Practise. Save a trip to the hospital with all the associated stress and expense.
I hope they get these in and out to trial quickly. Initially with human intervention and checking and quickly over to full automation.
I would think though that it will take some time before people are willing to let a machine do what a Doctor has done up to now. I’m a techie but I’m not sure I would like it straight away, certainly for some tests and diagnosis although my Doctor isn’t anything like Dr Shipman so I’m a bit bias.
Robot aids
I’m not clear on the procedure used for a breast biopsy but I’ve just had the process for prostate biopsy explained to me and I think I’d have to have a general anaesthetic to have one. Now it appears that both these procedures are simple enough so that a robot can do them without human intervention. Finally, we are starting to utilise the benefits of computers as an aid to speed up diagnosis and healing of our bodies. I’m sure that there are dozens of other procedures that are simpler that could be performed by a little robot.
Only problem is that I can see is who will want to be seen by a cold metal tub with some odd arms with very wicked looking tools on the ends when you can have your body invaded by a nice lady doctor. Sure, it could take your blood and analyse it in a few minutes inside its body or perform a biopsy and feed the results back to the doctor in the same day but can it look at you with doe eyes and a bit of mischievous sympathy as it sticks a very large digit up your bottom?
Soon the Doctors surgeries will be full of these performing blood tests, urine samples and, for special models, semen samples. (Might bring my own for that one) They should enable Doctors to be much more productive and make diagnosis much easier and faster. If they can perform other simple surgeries well, and I don’t see why they couldn’t, it would also save time for hospital visits as they could have minor surgeries at the Doctors Practise. Save a trip to the hospital with all the associated stress and expense.
I hope they get these in and out to trial quickly. Initially with human intervention and checking and quickly over to full automation.
I would think though that it will take some time before people are willing to let a machine do what a Doctor has done up to now. I’m a techie but I’m not sure I would like it straight away, certainly for some tests and diagnosis although my Doctor isn’t anything like Dr Shipman so I’m a bit bias.