One future medical that has a lot of potentials is nanobots. These microscope bots
would be able to enter a patient’s body and provide care from inside. Currently, nanobots
are being tested on animals for many different tasks. One big potential use is the
transportation of cells to different parts of the body (Soto & Chrostowski, 2018). This
could help with tasks such as wound healing. The nanobot could transport extra coagulant
to the wounded area to stop heavy bleeding. They could also prevent the side effects of
toxic substances by redistributing or removing them from the body. There is still a lot of
research that needs to be done before they can be used on human patients. The bots need to
be optimized and biocompatibility and degradation need to be considered. Different
government health departments would also need to form regulations for nanobots to
protect patients’ safety. Within the next decade, nanobots may be used in humans for
additional research.
Another future medical practice with potential is the use of artificial limbs.
Artificial limbs are not a new technology. Patients with amputations have been using
socket artificial limbs to help create a more normal living experience for them since the
1980s (Marks & Micheal, 2001). For artificial legs, many different models are being
created that allow patients to run and climb just like they still had their natural legs. For
future artificial limbs, there is a demand for reducing the cost of each limb as well as
adding functions and comfort features. These efforts would allow more amputees to regain
much of the functions lost from their amputation.
