According to a recent report by Credence Research, the global medical robotics market is expected to grow from $7.24 billion in 2015 to $20 billion by 2023. A major driver of this growth is the demand for the use of robots in minimally invasive surgery. , especially in neurology, orthopedics, and laparoscopic surgery. As a result, various robots are being developed to perform various roles in the medical environment. Robots that specialize in treating humans include surgical robots and rehabilitation robots.

 The field of robotic assistive and therapeutic devices is also growing rapidly. Representative examples include robots that aid in the recovery of critically ill patients such as stroke, empathic robots that care for the elderly or those with physical or mental disabilities, and industrial robots that perform daily tasks such as disinfecting rooms. hospital and delivery of medical supplies. and equipment. , including pharmaceuticals. Here are six of the best robotic applications in medicine today.

1. Telepresencedoctors use robots to help examine and treat patients in rural or remote locations, giving them 'telecommunication' across the room. 'Professionals in remote locations can robocall to answer questions and direct therapy,' writes Dr. Bernadette Keefe, a health and medical consultant in Chapel Hill, NC. 'Key features of this robotic device include the ability to navigate inside the emergency room and a sophisticated camera for physical examination.'

2. Surgical Assistant This remote-controlled robot helps surgeons perform minimally invasive procedures, usually. 'The ability to operate a highly sophisticated robotic arm by sitting at a workstation outside the operating room and operating a control unit is a hallmark of surgical robots,' says Kiff. Additional applications of these surgical assistant robots are being developed with advanced 3DHD technology to provide surgeons with the spatial reference they need for highly complex operations, including better natural stereoscopic visualization combined with augmented reality. 

3. Rehabilitation robotsplay an important role in the rehabilitation of people with disabilities, including improving mobility, strength, coordination, and quality of life. The robot can be programmed to adapt to any patient recovering from a neurological or neuromuscular disease, such as a stroke, brain or spinal cord injury, or multiple sclerosis. Virtual reality combined with rehabilitation robots can also improve balance, gait, and other motor skills. 

4. Medical transport robots These robots deliver goods, medicine, and food to patients and staff, simplifying communication between doctors, hospital staff, and patients. 'Many cars can navigate the facility by themselves,' said Manoj Sakhi, research analyst at Tractica, a market research firm specializing in the technology. 'However, more advanced and cost-effective indoor navigation systems based on sensor positioning technology are needed to make the navigation functions of vehicle robots more reliable.'

5. Robots for Sanitization and DisinfectionDue to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and outbreaks of deadly infections such as Ebola, many healthcare facilities are using robots to clean and disinfect surfaces. 'Currently, the main disinfection methods are ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide gas,' says Sahi. 'This robot can neutralize bacteria and virus wires in a few minutes.'

6. The maximum advantage of the robot recipe robot -Viteza and precision are two functions that are very important for pharmacies. 'Automated dispensing systems have advanced to the point where robots can process powders, liquids, and highly viscous materials much faster and with greater precision than ever before,' says Sahi.

Future model

Sophisticated robots continue to be developed for a growing number of medical applications. For example, a research team led by Gregory Fisher, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and robotics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is developing a compact, high-precision surgical robot that works in the opening of an MRI scanner and is electronically controlled. Systems and related software for improving prostate biopsy accuracy.

To create a robot that could work inside an MRI scanner, Fischer and his team had to overcome several key technical challenges. Because MRI scanners use strong magnets, the robot, including all sensors and actuators, must be made of non-ferrous materials. 'We also had to develop communication protocols and software interfaces to control the robot and connect it to higher-level imaging and planning systems,' says Fisher. 'Robots should be easy to sterilize, configure and deploy in scanners for non-technical surgical teams. All of this resulted in large-scale systems integration projects that required multiple hardware and software iterations to get to this point.

Other studies combine virtual reality with recovery robots to increase the range of therapeutic exercises and increase the motivation and effectiveness of physical therapy. Exciting discoveries are being made with nanoparticles and nanomaterials. For example, nanoparticles can cross the 'blood-brain barrier'. In the future, nanodevices may be able to carry 'therapeutic payloads' of drugs that can be injected into the body and automatically directed to specific target sites on the body. A recordable, broadband-enabled digital device that uses wireless technology to monitor internal drug reactions is coming soon.

'Existing technologies combined with new methods improve the efficiency of healthcare operations,' says Keef. 'At the same time, new robotic technologies are being used to make exciting advances in the medical field.'