Page 204 - Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics

Medical Robot
With the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in robotic systems,
the importance of mechanics may diminish, and the importance of elec-
tronics can be expected to increase.
MEDICAL ROBOT
Medical science has become one of the largest industries in the civilized
world. There are many possible ways in which robots might be used in
this industry. The most likely scenario involves a mobile robotic attendant
or nurse’s assistant.
Paranurse
A robotic paranurse (nurse’s assistant) might roll along on three or four
wheels mounted in its base. Operation of the robot can be supervised
from the nurses’ station. This robot works very much like a personal
robot. It can deliver meals,pick up the trays,and dispense medication in pill
form. A robotic paranurse can also, at least in theory, take measurements
of a patient’s vital signs (temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and
respiration rate).
In the body
Robotic devices can be used as artificial limbs. This allows amputees and
paraplegics to function almost as if they had never been injured.
A more radical notion conceived by some robotics researchers involves
the manufacture of robot antibodies. These microscopic creatures could
be injected into a patient’s bloodstream, and would go around seeking
out viruses or bacteria and destroying them.The robot controller could be
programmed to cause the tiny machines to go after only a certain type of
microorganism. Some researchers have suggested that organic compounds
might be assembled molecule by molecule to make biological robots.
Entertainment
One of the more interesting applications of robots in medicine is to enter-
tain the patient.This is where artificial intelligence (AI) becomes important.
For children, robots can play simple games and read stories. For adults,
robots can read aloud and carry on conversations.
The chief argument used against medical robots holds that sick people
need a human touch, which a machine cannot provide. The counter-
argument asserts that medical robots are not intended to replace human
doctors and nurses, but only to take up some of the slack, helping to
relieve patients’ boredom while freeing human beings to look after more
critical things. Some patients, especially children, find robots immensely

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