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Robots May Soon Put Surgery Into the Hands of Non-Surgeons (computerworld.com)
Lucas123 writes: By 2020, surgical robotics sales are expected to almost double to $6.4 billion, at the same time robots are becoming easier to use. One new robot is so easy to use that even med students can achieve proficiency with a few tries, according to Umamaheswar Duvvuri, director of head and neck surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The robot, a snake-like endoscope that can be directed into any shape through the relative orientations of its linkages, requires only one incision, reducing the number from several involved in typical laparoscopic procedures. Older, and more popular surgical robotic systems, such as the da Vinci Surgical System, are now being tested by physicians who are at controls more than 1,000 miles away. Probably a lot of the same misgivings that people have about autonomous cars apply here, too.
A sequel (sort of ) to "The Marching Morons". An automated medical kit is time-traveled back to the current (1950s) time, and is found by a former doctor, now a bum after being de-licensed for malpractice due to alcoholism. Thinking the novelty and improvement of the tools is improvement in medical technology that he missed, he uses the power for good in an emergency, and starts turning his life around. Someone else, though, notices a future date on something in the kit, and eventually steals and misuses it. The safety mechanisms notice this . . . ((Also adapted for ... Twilight Zone? some other 1950s show?))
The Da Vinci is a remotely operated laproscopy tool, not an autonomous machine. Remote usually means "across the room". I got to play with one for about 30 minutes. Placing little tiny rubber bands on tiny latex cones. It takes a lot of practice. It would take less time to learn than traditional laproscopy, but still a lot of training -- after you are already a board-certified surgeon. What it does is give the surgeon much finer control and better viewing. The camera inside the surgery zone is awesome. The surgeon can control the motion multiplier, so 5 inches on his controls is 1/2 inch inside the patient.
But here is what sells Da Vincis: The tremor filter. Everyone develops micro-tremors as they age. This is usually what ends the career of laproscopic surgeons. The Da Vince extends the career of expert laproscopic surgeons by 8 to 10 years. Do the math -- spending a million dollars on a Da Vinci is an absolute no-brainer for all involved.
The system does nothing autonomously.
correct, it doesn't do anything autonomously but it does allow you to choose what actions you would like it to take. for example, microsutures are a pain in the ass because they take forever but the da Vinci Surgical System allows you to start making microsutures and then allows you to choose to repeat the task so that you can do thousands of microsutures in several minutes rather than hours.
it certainly is a robot. it requires you to tell it what to do but then don't all robots?
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