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Robotics in Health Industry

Robotics in Health Industry

Nature of the Technology

A robot is any mechatronic devise that has been created purposefully for executing various tasks that are likely to be difficult, repetitive, risky, and impossibly for any human being to perform on his/her own. In relation to this, robotics in the healthcare industry also serve the same purpose because they are designed in a way that can facilitate accomplishment of various tasks in a more efficient and effective manner, compared to the capabilities of humans. As far as development and implementation of robotics within the healthcare industry is concerned, the key focus is laid on precision surgery, development of exoskeletons, as well as other related innovations to aid locomotion and movement. In addition to that, focus is laid on the ability of the robotics to aid in repetitive tasks that cannot be done efficiently by humans due to fatigue, such as heartrate monitoring and blood sampling. On the same note, key focus is also laid on the nature of robotic assistance, especially to those who need extreme care (Kim, Gu, & Heo, 2016).

Robots are specially designed to take on tasks that may require extreme precision, those that are repetitive in nature, and those that are likely to be a source of danger to human health. In relation to this, among the examples of how use of robotics can be useful include conducting keyhole surgeries, monitoring of the patients’ vitals, and transporting medical products, some of which can be highly dangerous when exposed directly to humans. This means that the robotics can help in eliminating these risks factors both for the providers of healthcare and the patients, hence, improving on the overall quality of healthcare, which is the goal of developing the robotics.

An Overview of How It Works

Change is inevitable and may be scary, depending on the point of view and the ability of a person to embrace it. Introduction of robotics within the healthcare industry is among the changes that affect almost everyone globally, and it is advisable that people should embrace it wholeheartedly. In relation to this, the introduction of robotics in the healthcare industry has been helpful based on the fact that it has the potential of bringing so much good. Furthermore, the working mechanism of the robotics today is divided into several specific functions. For instance, it has enabled the introduction of healthcare to geographical regions that could not be physically accessed with humans. In addition to that, it has facilitated precise production and distribution of pharmaceuticals in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, as well as lightening the load that medical practitioners bear. Finally, it has enabled the overall improvement of healthcare provision to patients. However, to avoid the potential dangers associated with the technologies used and to maximize on the benefits, continuous research should be done in order to ensure that as time passes, the healthcare industry is a step ahead in order to meet the future demands that will emerge.

Potential Applications of the Technology

The potential application of the technology discussed in this paper, that is, the use of robotics in the healthcare industry is as follows. First, the use of robotics has enabled the development of exoskeletons. In relation to this, the developed technology has enabled those who were permanently paralyzed to be able to walk again, as well as positively influencing the rehabilitation of patients who suffer from injuries associated with the spinal cord and stroke. In addition to that, development of the exoskeletons has aided the enhancement of strength, especially to the nurses who take care of elderly patients and may be required to lift them from one position to another frequently.

On the same note, the technology has been applied to handle cases that are associated with Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) such as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), which is among the leading causes of death in various hospitals in the United States (TMF, 2018). The statistics obtained from TMF (2018), in relation to this, point out that 1 out of every 25 patients is likely to contract an HAI, and of those, 1 out of every 9 patients is likely to die. Therefore, based on this knowledge, the use of exoskeletons is likely to handle the situation based on the fact that there is a possibility of developing exoskeletons that use high intensity ultraviolet light to disinfect all space within a healthcare facility as fast and as efficiently as possible. The technology works in a way that involves cellular destruction of microorganisms causing the HAI, while also reducing the workload of healthcare staff in their attempt to frequently disinfect their workstation in various health facilities.

Another potential application of the technology discussed in this paper, that is, the use of robotics in the healthcare industry, is the use of capsule-sized robotics to treat any form of ailments associated with inserting foreign bodies into one’s system. For instance, Miyashita, et al. (2015) illustrate that the Origami robot has been developed in form of a small capsule that a patient is required to swallow. The capsule will then unfold itself upon reaching the desired destination then controlled by a technician with the aid of magnetic fields. These magnetic fields have been specially designed to patch up wounds that may be discovered within the lining of any part of the digestive system, or in the removal of any foreign object that the robot may come across.

Finally, it has been noted that various medical practitioners, such as pharmacists and nurses, are heavily burdened with tasks that they can choose to eliminate using advanced technologies that have been specially designed for healthcare. In relation to this, heavy lifting has always been a major burden, as well as fast processing and manipulation of information such as prescribing drugs, among others. Furthermore, there has been development of Pharma dispensers that have assumed the same working mechanism as that of an ATM. They function to help patients access their prescriptions, irrespective of the time of the day or night. This would help various medical practitioners to be in a position to spend most of their time handling the emotional and social aspects of the healing process, as well as educating people on the preventive measures that they can take in order to improve on their health.

The Nature of any Controversial Issues

Controversial issues associated with the use of robotics in the healthcare industry have emerged with time, which have tainted the advantages associated with it. For instance, as far as employment is concerned, there has been cries associated with the replacement of human workers with robots. In relation to this, a large percentage of human workers are likely to be considered jobless soon, despite all their efforts to venture into the medical world from a young age, particularly the nurses. In addition to that, it is important to note that maintenance of the robots is vital to ensure that they function at their optimal levels. This brings the concern of an event where a machine has not been duly serviced before performing a crucial operation such as surgeries on delicate organs of the body. This is based on the fact that as much as the robotics have been designed to function better that the humans, they still need to be looked into by the same humans, who are also susceptible to to making errors. This means that they cannot be totally relied on (Stahl & Coeckelbergh, 2016).

Similarly, cases associated with cost of accessing the robotics have emerged. Based on their functionality and resources used to develop them, acquiring them is likely to be very costly, which means that as much as they are important assets within the healthcare industry, they will not be of much relevance. This can be supported by the need for healthcare cuts across all social classes. Therefore, for the whole industry to be regarded as successful, everyone will have to receive better medical care. However, this is not the case because based on the nature of the technology, only those who are rich will be able to access all the advantages associated with it. Therefore, the technology will not favor those who are not financially stable but need urgent medical attention.

How the Technology is Expected to Develop in the Next Years

In most hospital endeavors, patients tend to interact most with the hospital nurses in a number of ways, such as checking vital signs, drawing blood, taking care of a patient’s hygiene, as well as the condition of the patient. In most cases, the nurses are usually overwhelmed, which results in the possibility of inefficiency. Due to the nature in which technology is evolving, the provision of the future is that robotic nurses will be created that will help in carrying the burden that the human nurses carry. These robots will be able to conduct special tasks in a more effective and efficient way, while giving the human nurses the role of handling issues that may be associated with decision- making and emotions.

In addition to that, in future, the use of robots will be so advanced such that they will have the capabilities of performing complex functions such as interacting with the patients on a personal level with the aim of assessing their living conditions to recommend whether there would be need for further appointment for medical examinations. This would boost efficiency because it will help in getting rid of time consumed for other actions that are currently ongoing such as home visits.

Finally, the provision for the future, as far as use of robotics in the healthcare industry is concerned, is that there will be a possibility of accessing medical services even if one is located in a remote area. This is because in case of an emergency such as accidents, medical practitioners may not be in a position to make it in time to save the lives of the victims of the accident. However, use of robotics will enable this to happen, since patients will be able to access their services remotely, hence, handing issues associated with emergency consultations, stroke, fire accidents, and cardiovascular complications.

References

Kim, J., Gu, G. M., & Heo, P. (2016). Robotics for Healthcare. In Biomedical Engineering: Frontier Research and Converging Technologies (Pp. 489-509). Springer, Cham.

Miyashita, S., Guitron, S., Ludersdorfer, M., Sung, C. R., & Rus, D. (2015, May). An Untethered Miniature Origami Robot that Self-Folds, Walks, Swims, and Degrades. In Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2015 IEEE International Conference (Pp. 1490-1496). IEEE.

Stahl, B. C., & Coeckelbergh, M. (2016). Ethics of Healthcare Robotics: Towards Responsible Research and Innovation. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 86, 152-161.

TMF. (2018). “Robotics in Healthcare – Get Ready.” TMF. Retrieved from http://medicalfuturist.com/robotics-healthcare/ on 04/04/2018.