Medical Robots
History
A Medical Robot often used in surgeries was introduced in medicine during the early 1980s, first in the field of urology. Robotic arms were introduced and used for medical operations(1). In the case of robotically-assisted minimally-invasive surgery, instead of directly moving the instruments, the surgeon uses one of five methods to control the instruments; either a direct telemanipulator or through computer control(2). Robots now are being used in other ways to assist in the medical field. A growing number of hospitals are deploying robots that automate simple operational tasks or provide new ways for physicians to interact with patients beyond the bedside. Healthcare providers say that the robots—or machinery with varying types and degrees of robotic automation—can help reduce costs, make operations more efficient and serve as a marketing tool to position hospitals as early adopters of cutting-edge technology(3). Nearly 400,000 robotic-assisted surgeries were performed in 2012,(4).
Current Vendors - Intuitive Surgical, Inc. - Titan Medical, Inc. a Canadian Company - Adept - iRobot, Fanuc, American health care robotic device makers Intuitive Surgical and Mako Surgical, and ancillary businesses to the robotics industry like haptics provider Immersion.
References
1. http://www.brighthubengineering.com/robotics/95856-use-of-robotics-in-the-medical-field/
