The robot will see you now

‘The robot will see you now’
Now meet daVinci, the multi-armed robot, that has become the new best friend of many U.S. surgeons – not to mention patients who are able to recover far more quickly from procedures as complex as a double by-pass, hysterectomy, or radical prostatectomy.

Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci robotic system allows for a minimally invasive surgical approach which means smaller incisions, less blood loss and shorter hospital stays. Basically the way it works is this: while the robot hovers over the patient, the doctor sits at a nearby console to control the surgical instruments attached to the robot’s arms. Video screens give the surgeon a magnified, three-dimensional view inside the patient.

The robot allows doctors to see better than in open surgery. Also the instruments have wrist-like hinges, which allows for more flexibility than conventional laparoscopic devices. The robot can make tiny, precise movements, tremor-free.

(The success of the robot, of course, is dependent on the surgeon’s skill with using it. It has been reported that a woman whose husband died after a doctor using the da Vinci robot accidentally cut two of his main arteries sued the Florida hospital, alleging the surgeon lacked experience with the device.)

Also on the surgical front, Italian researchers recently announced they are testing a robot that can perform liver and kidney surgeries with a minimal amount of blood loss. The robot, called Altair, uses low-frequency electrical current to raise the temperature in organs so that blood solidifies, according to Achille Lucio Gaspari of Rome’s Tor Vergata University.

The technique allows surgeons to make incisions without breaking blood vessels. So far, the robot has been used successfully on 14 liver patients.

Are we ready for a robot-centered society?
While it still may be early days, many are concerned with the ethics and possible repercussions of developing networked robots that think and look like humans. Will humans eventually become too dependent? What about technical or programming difficulties if a robot gets hacked or simply won’t obey?

Presently, a code of ethics to prevent humans abusing robots and vice versa, is being drawn up by South Korea. Other bodies, such as the European Robotics Research Network, are also thinking about the robotic future. According to the BBC, a draft of the proposals said: “In the 21st Century humanity will coexist with the first alien intelligence we have ever come into contact with – robots…It will be an event rich in ethical, social and economic problems.”

And a recent UK government study actually predicted that in the next 50 years robots could demand the same rights as human beings.

ON THE NET
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