Dr. Robot: Machine vs. Human

by Sanjna Mootakoduru

Edited by Taruni Manam & Kavya Gurunath, Layout by Sahithi Lingampalli & Tristan Castro, Art by Sanjna Mootakoduru

It’s been long imagined that one day, when humanity becomes advanced enough, robots will be doing our tasks for us. From everyday chores, to driving us in our cars, to attending to our ailments in a hospital setting, I’m sure everyone’s imagined some sort of utopia of eternal relaxation and robots to tend to our every need. But robots are becoming more and more developed over time, and this mere science fiction dream is becoming more and more of a reality. Now, unlike ever before, there really are robots out there, doing things like making sure people are following social distancing guidelines in Singapore, or an AI writing an entire article for the Guardian. The medical world has seen its fair share of advancements as well. With all of this evolution, just how close are we to having full-fledged robot doctors?

You’ve already heard of, seen, and may even have some of this new and advanced technology in the form of devices linked with the Internet of Medical Things for short. These include devices like Fitbit and other smartwatches, remote vitals trackers, and other devices that keep clinicians connected to patients from far away, but these don’t exactly count as robots. How about the cool sci-fi humanoid machines we love to dream up? Where are those? Well, the first kind of robot we will discuss is the robotic assistant. These robots monitor a patient’s vital statistics, alert the nurses, and automatically enter information into a patient’s digital health record. This is efficient because it allows nurses to track the needs and progress of several patients at once. Some robots also carry equipment around hospitals.

The more popular, and debatably more exciting, type of robots are those that can perform surgery. Many people think that the robot itself is making the incisions but this is not the case: the robot is being controlled by a human surgeon. The benefits of a robot surgeon are the fact that the incisions made can be extremely controlled, as seen in the infamous “surgery on a grape” video that the internet has trolled for quite a while now. This video shows how intricate and efficient robotic surgery can be; the robotic scalpel is able to remove the skin off of the grape and then put it back together. This also means surgery can be done from across the world with 5G up and coming.

In addition to robotic surgeons and assistants, there are robots that sanitize hospitals and can help patients that are immuno-compromised to minimize contact with hospital personnel for their own safety. There are also robots that can transport, analyze, and store laboratory samples. Ever had a medical professional have trouble finding your “good vein”? A robot can help locate this vein more readily so the medical professional can perform their procedures quickly and with less fright from the patient.

So this is great, but when are we getting to the robot DOCTORS? Well, the truth is, we aren’t. Medicine is a very hands on field that requires a lot of, both physical and meta-phorical, human touch. Sometimes a machine can’t offer the comfort of another human being; can’t offer sympathy or empathy for our experiences and worries. Many people are actually put off by the idea of robotic doctors and would much rather have a human primarily caring for them. In reality, we may never truly have a completely robotic doctor, and if we do, they’d have to have many human characteristics, and they may even have to resemble a human.

References

Coronavirus: Robot dog enforces social distancing in Singapore park. (2020, May 11). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-52619568

G.P.T.-. (2020, September 10). A robot wrote this entire article. Are you scared yet, human? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/08/robot-wrote-thisarticle-gpt-3

How are Robots Changing Healthcare? (2019, August 7). Healthcare Administration Degree Programs. https://www.healthcare-administration-degree.net/faq/how-are-robotschanginghealthcare/#:%7E:text=Robots%20in%20medicine%20help%20by,places%20and%20transp ort%20dangerous%20substances