In my previous post I talked about how robots could be used to do household chores, making assisted living more practical for more seniors, and about how the technology used to make robots better might help us get around and be more independent.
There's another way that robotics will impact aging. Here's an example: "During the past eight years, the use of robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) for prostate cancer has grown tremendously and at a pace almost unparalleled in modern surgery. Current estimates indicate that half of all prostatectomies done in the United States are done robotically, and that figure is likely to increase as more and more surgeons gain robotic experience."
Robotic surgery is growing. "Since they were introduced a decade ago, robot-assisted surgeries have become widely accepted in the United States, especially for cardiac, gynecologic, and urologic procedures. The authors note that in 2007, about 60% of all radical prostatectomies were performed with robot assistance, and that robot-assisted cardiac and urological procedures can result in less blood loss and fewer complications than standard open approaches. In addition, the use of robots in cardiac surgery has had a favorable effect on operative time, length of stay in intensive care units, and length of overall inpatient care days, compared with open procedures."
But it's not just surgery. Robots can be used in hospitals: "LONDON, UK: Remote Presence (RP6) Robots may now allow a medical expert to visually examine and communicate with a patient from anywhere in the world, via the machine, using wireless technology, while they can also be used for surgical teaching and even videoconferencing. The robots are controlled with a joystick from a remote site. The doctor 'driving' the robot can view the patient, ask questions and read patient records, view X-rays and test results from the console, as an article in Science Daily reports."
...And out of hospitals, too. Money quote: "We can build robots that repair spaceships and build cars; why not use technology to assist people in reaching their goals of independence despite disabilities?"
It's going to be interesting. And soon.
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