Advanced telepresence surgery system development

SRI International is currently developing a prototype remote telepresence surgery system, for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), that will bring life-saving surgical care to wounded soldiers in the zone of combat. Remote surgery also has potentially important applications in civilian medicine. In addition, telepresence will find wide medical use in local surgery, in endoscopic, laparoscopic, and microsurgery applications. Key elements of the telepresence technology now being developed for ARPA, including the telepresence surgeon's workstation (TSW) and associated servo control systems, will have direct application to these areas of minimally invasive surgery. The TSW technology will also find use in surgical training, where it will provide an immersive visual and haptic interface for interaction with computer-based anatomical models. In this paper, we discuss our ongoing development of the MEDFAST telesurgery system, focusing on the TSW man-machine interface and its associated servo control electronics.

Will robots ever replace attendants? Exploring the current capabilities and future potential of robots in education and rehabilitation

This article describes the current capabilities and future potential of robots designed as supplements or replacements for human assistants or as tools for education and rehabilitation. A number of researchers have developed and tested a variety of robot assistants for individuals with disabilities. These robots can usually be classified as educational, vocational or independent-living assistants. Robots in all three categories are reviewed. A brief summary of the critical characteristics of human service robots is also presented and the limitations of current technology are discussed. Finally, current research aimed at addressing these limitations is described. White robots of all kinds have proven much more difficult to develop than people had expected, we conclude that it will eventually be possible to create an effective, reliable robot for human service tasks, but not as quickly as was predicted in the early 1980s.

Will robots inherit the earth?

Yes, as we engineer replacement bodies and brains using nanotechnology. We will then live longer, possess greater wisdom and enjoy capabilities as yet unimagined.

Shake, rattle & roll: 24 revolutionary technologies

The tools of tomorrow are here today. Our expert finds the technologies that will actually make a difference in your strategies, your company, and your life.

Virtual reality in surgery and medicine

This report documents the state of development of enhanced and virtual reality-based systems in medicine. Virtual reality systems seek to simulate a surgical procedure in a computer-generated world in order to improve training. Enhanced reality systems seek to augment or enhance reality by providing improved imaging alternatives for specific patient data. Virtual reality represents a paradigm shift in the way we teach and evaluate the skills of medical personnel. Driving the development of virtual reality-based simulators is laparoscopic abdominal surgery, where there is a perceived need for better training techniques; within a year, systems will be fielded for second-year residency students. Further refinements over perhaps the next five years should allow surgeons to evaluate and practice new techniques in a simulator before using them on patients. Technical developments are rapidly improving the realism of these machines to an amazing degree, as well as bringing the price down to affordable levels. In the next five years, many new anatomical models, procedures, and skills are likely to become available on simulators. Enhanced reality systems are generally being developed to improve visualization of specific patient data. Three-dimensional (3-D) stereovision systems for endoscopic applications, head-mounted displays, and stereotactic image navigation systems are being fielded now, with neurosurgery and laparoscopic surgery being major driving influences. Over perhaps the next five years, enhanced and virtual reality systems are likely to merge. This will permit patient-specific images to be used on virtual reality simulators or computer-generated landscapes to be input into surgical visualization instruments. Percolating all around these activities are developments in robotics and telesurgery. An advanced information infrastructure eventually will permit remote physicians to share video, audio, medical records, and imaging data with local physicians in real time. Surgical robots are likely to be deployed for specific tasks in the operating room (OR) and to support telesurgery applications. Technical developments in robotics and motion control are key components of many virtual reality systems. Since almost all of the virtual reality and enhanced reality systems will be digitally based, they are also capable of being put "on-line" for tele-training, consulting, and even surgery. Advancements in virtual and enhanced reality systems will be driven in part by consumer applications of this technology. Many of the companies that will supply systems for medical applications are also working on commercial products. A big consumer hit can benefit the entire industry by increasing volumes and bringing down costs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Future developments in high-technology abdominal surgery: ultrasound, stereo imaging, robotics

The surgical world is experiencing a revolution brought about by the proliferation of minimally invasive techniques. These developments have had most impact on abdominal surgery and chest surgery, but there are ramifications affecting other fields as well. One feature of this change is the increasing dependence of surgeons on technology. Developments in video imaging, ultrasound and robotics are required to make complex endoscopic procedures surgeon-friendly, just as the minimally invasive approach has made surgery more patient-friendly. In the future, integration of stereo imaging systems, computers, microrobots and robotic manipulators will result in technically sophisticated but ergonomic operating systems that will allow surgeons to perform endoscopically almost any type of surgery that can be done today.

The future of nursing in a technological age: computers, robots, and TLC

The computer has become a major tool in the medical treatment of disease. Computers can record vital signs, keep records, and provide central networks for interactive diagnosis. Individual medical histories can be contained in an optical card the size of a credit card. Advances in technology just over the horizon will permit an individual to consult a computer much as one now consults a physician for diagnosis, recommendations, instructions, and treatment. Surgery can be conducted in "virtual space," with the physician operating inside the body (via computer) as if he or she were present at the site of the surgery. Only a step beyond this is the development of robots who can do a better surgical job than a human being. What is missing from this scenario? Tender loving care. That is the nurse's job, and it is something that computers cannot do because it involves feelings and human communication that are beyond mere technology. Consequently, nurses will be needed long after physicians have passed into limbo. The practical lesson of this look into the future is that, although nurses certainly must remain in touch with the cutting edge of technology, their primary purpose will be to retain and sharpen the skills that Florence Nightingale introduced. Human response will never be replaced by technology, and the unchanging need for the nurses' caring function will assure their future.