Download Robotics in the Medical Field

Shelly Beverley
AI Paper
October 10, 2011
Robotics in the Medical Field
The field of robotics in medicine have grown a great deal in just a few years.
This is a relatively new area of research. Many types of experiments on using
robotics in the medical field began in the 1980s. One of the main fields of
medicine that was in the forefront was the field of urology. During this time, a
robotic arm was developed to assist in prostate surgeries. Also in the 1980s,
NASA began to research the use of robotics for telemedicine. This is where the
robotics would monitor a patient's condition with the doctor being at another
location. NASA felt that this would be a great asset to help the troops on the
battlefield where doctors were not readily available to treat the wounded.
More
experiments with medical robotics were conducted from 1989 through 2003.
Through this development and research, they have developed medical robots of
various types to assist with surgeries and other medical uses. The use and
development of medical robotics is still a very active and progressing field.
Medical robotics is a new field that is developing at a surprisingly rate.
In 1985 a robot, the PUMA 560 was used to place a needle for a brain biopsy
using CT guidance. In 1988, the PROBOT, developed at Imperial Collete London,
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was used to perform prostatic surgery. The ROBODOC from Integrated Surgical
Systems was introduced in 1992 to mill out precise fittings in the femur for hip
replacement. Further
development of robotic systems
brought about the creation of the
daVinci Surgical System and
Computer Motion with AESOP and
the ZEUS Robotic Surgical
System.
The da Vinci Surgical System comprises three components: a
surgeon's consol, a patient-side robotic cart with 4 arms manipulated by the
surgeon,(one to control the camera and three to
manipulate instruments), and a high-definition 3D
vision system. The surgical instruments are
mounted on the robotic arms which enter into the
body through small incisions. The da Vinci senses
the surgeons hand movements and translates them
electronically into scaled-down micro-movements to
manipulate the tiny instruments. It also eliminates any tremors in the surgeon's
hand movements. The camera in the system provides a picture which is
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transmitted to the surgeon's console. The daVinci System is now used in a variety
of surgeries such as prostate cancer, hysterectomy, and mitral valve repair, and is
used in more than 800 hospitals in both the U.S. and Europe. The system was used
in about 48,000 procedures in 2006 and sells for about $1.2 million. In May 2006,
the first AI doctor-conducted unassisted robotic surgery on a 34 year old male to
correct a heart arrhythmia. This surgery was done as if by the most expert
surgeon. In January 2009, the first all-robotic assisted kidney transplant was
performed in Livingston, New Jersey. (1)
The physical form of the robotics is made up of integrated components
assembled on a single physical platform that can be maneuvered in different ways
by a remote caregiver. The body of the robot will have networked computer
components, telecommunications devices, video cameras with monitors and printers,
and microphones for communications. Today, most of these medical robots have
components that can simulate our human senses, except for the senses, touch and
hearing. These medical robots about the size of a man or woman since they have to
be moved around an operating room or patient room. These robotic units are
powered by batteries which eliminates the need for electrical cables or electrical
wires. The batteries will need to be charged periodically, putting the machine out
of use for a short time. These medical robots actually become the eyes, ears, and
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mouth of the person who is controlling it. This type of application also makes it
possible for a specialist from a distance away to examine a patient and then have
the local doctors take over after a diagnosis is made. This will enable many
patients to have the expert care of specialists wherever they are.
Medical robots are utilized in many ways in the hospital. The robotics are
used to perform Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS). This is where small incisions
are made by the surgeon and the operation is performed with instruments and
viewing equipment inserted through these small incisions. This eliminates the need
for large incisions and a longer recovery. This also minimizes surgical trauma and
damage to healthy tissue which helps in the recovery process. The surgeon
controls the robot and provides valuable information back to the controls allowing
the surgeon to have a sense of touch to help control the robot. This type of robot
is typically called a "teleoperated device".
Medical robotics is also used in the diagnosis of medical conditions. The
different types are the CAT scan, laboratory equipment that processes and
analyzes samples of blood and other materials from the body to make diagnosis for
the doctors. These procedures are much more accurate and reduces the
possibility of human error that can cause false diagnosis. The figure below shows
a miniature version of a robotic device in which the patient swallows the capsule
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with a camera within the capsule, which takes pictures of the patients internal
organs and sends this information back to the medical staff to better diagnosis
the condition of the patient.
Robotic capsular endoscope for examination of gastrointestinal tract
(Polo Sant’Anna Valdera of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, 2005
Prosthetics or artificial limbs are used to replace missing limbs and organs
that can assist the human body is a goal of many researchers. This research could
possibly some day offer hope to those with damaged hearts, eyes, limbs, eyes, and
ears. There are even some robotic devices that would enable a person who has
limited mobility to give them some movement where they have had none. I think
this area of research would be very beneficial in helping to rehabilitate our injured
military troops or possibly go as far as repairing spinal injuries or defects at birth.
I feel the possibilities are endless in this area of robotics.
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Robots can also help in the rehabilitation of patients through exercise
platforms to help restore bodily functions and can monitor the conditions of
patients undergoing rehabilitation from the effects of stroke, injuries or other
brain and nerve damage.
Some of the advantages are that it minimizes invasive surgery. Other
advantages are precision, miniaturization, smaller incisions, decreased blood loss,
less pain and quicker healing time. Other advantages would be in physical therapy
with better equipment to aid in recovery. Robotic techniques reduce hospital
stays, blood loss, transfusions, and the use of pain medication. Most patients leave
the hospital two to five days earlier than most patients having traditional surgery,
and return to work and normal activities almost 50 percent more quickly. With
shorter hospital stays, the costs are lower for both the patient and the hospital
staff.
Some of the disadvantages of robotic surgery as with the daVinci system is
the cost - $1,200,000 with additional costs of $1500 per procedure. Additional
training is also needed to operate the system. The training is long and tedious, and
during the training period, surgeries could take twice as long as traditional surgery.
This type of medical robotic research is still very young. Many new devices
and robotics have been developed and are still being developed. There is more
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research and development done in the United States than any other country. As
you can see from the article below dated 1997, the research and development was
seen only as a future project, but today it is reality.
Questions:
What impact did this assignment make on your understanding of the future of
applications of AI in the world we live in?
The research I did for this article made me realize how far we have come with the
development of robotics in the medical field. I learned that robotics are a very big
part of our society today. I didn't realize that we had developed so many "AI"
products and that they are in use today. The term "AI" has a new meaning to me not just creating a human-like robot, but that it entails many other forms of
artificial intelligence. It was amazing what has been created in Japan as well as in
the U.S. Aside from creating an actual humanoid robot, I think this field has
brought to our society great strides in science and helping us to better our lives.
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In what way did your study for this paper challenge any of your assumptions?
This paper did challenge me because I wasn't aware of how far we have come in
the artificial intelligence arena. I think that I am pretty well informed, but I
didn't know that we use robots in surgery as much as I learned in the articles that
I read. In learning all the different aspects of AI, I became to realize that it is
all around us and we use different forms of AI every day. It's fantastic that we
can do so much with robotics in medicine and I am sure that other fields of study
are just as impressive as this was.
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Bibliography
Newell, Lori. 2011. Medical Robotics. www.ehow.com/about_4673595_medical-robotics.html
Kivi, Rose. 2011. How Do Robots Help Doctors? www.ehow.com/how-does_4567630_robots-helpdoctors.html
Wikipedia Encyclopedia. Sept. 2011. Robotic Surgery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/robotic_surgery
Zheng, Yuan; Bekey, George; Sanderson, Arthur. 2006. Robotics for Biological and Medical Applications.
www.wtec.org/robotics/report/06-medical.pdf
Bauer, Jeffrey C. May 2011. The Future of Medical Robotics: Creating Synergy in the Interaction of
Patients, Caregivers, and Intelligence Machines.
http://www.intouchhealth.com/TEWSClinicalRobotics.pdf
Medical Robotics Group at UC Berkeley. January 2002. Surgical Robotics.
http://robotics.eecs.berkeley.edu/medicalresearch.html