A medical robot is a

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may ...

used in the

medical science Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

s. They include

surgical robots Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

. These are in most

telemanipulator A remote manipulator, also known as a telefactor, telemanipulator, or waldo (after the 1942 short story "Waldo" by Robert A. Heinlein which features a man who invents and uses such devices), is a device which, through electronic, hydraulic, or m ...

s, which use the surgeon's activators on one side to control the "effector" on the other side.

Types

Surgical robots Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

: These robots either allow surgical operations to be carried out with better precision than an unaided human surgeon or allow remote surgery where a human surgeon is not physically present with the patient. * Rehabilitation robots: facilitate and support the lives of infirm, elderly people, or those with dysfunction of body parts affecting movement. These robots are also used for rehabilitation and related procedures, such as training and therapy. * Biorobots: a group of robots designed to imitate the cognition of humans and animals. *

Telepresence robots Telerobotics is the area of robotics concerned with the control of semi-autonomous robots from a distance, chiefly using television, wireless networks (like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the Deep Space Network) or tethered connections. It is a combinatio ...

: allow off-site medical professionals to move, look around, communicate, and participate from remote locations. * Pharmacy automation: robotic systems to dispense oral solids in a retail pharmacy setting or preparing sterile IV admixtures in a hospital pharmacy setting. * Companion robot: has the capability to engage emotionally with users keeping them company and alerting if there is a problem with their health. * Disinfection robot: has the capability to

disinfect A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than ste ...

a whole room in mere minutes, generally using pulsed

ultraviolet light Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...

. They are being used to fight Ebola virus disease. * Hospital robots - With a pre-programmed layout of their environment and built-in sensors, hospital robots deliver medications, meals and specimens around hospitals. * Robotic prosthetics - Focuses on providing their wearers with life-like limb functionality. * Laboratory robots - Types of robots found in labs are specially designed to either automate processes or assist lab technicians in completing repetitive tasks.

References

External links

Medical Robotics Text Book

Medical Robots Conference

Where Are the Elder Care Robots?

Notable Chinese Firms Emerging in Medical Robots Sector
(

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operat ...

)
Medical Robots- Towards Robotics
{{Robotics Medical robots

Types

See also

References

External links