The Role of Robots in Future Surgeries
Are robots ready to take over human doctors? Technologically, almost. Socially? Not yet!
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The use of robots isn’t anything new in the healthcare industry. Medical professionals have been relying on robotic assistance for many decades. Robots first made an appearance in operation theaters in the 1980s. However, the early surgical robots weren’t capable of anything special. They were only useful in assisting doctors with minor tasks. Over the years, advancements in the robotic front have been astounding.
Today, we’ve all seen videos of robots performing delicate surgical procedures on fruits with near-perfect finesse. The surgical robot behind all of these videos is the Da Vinci Robotic System. This robotic system is easily one of the biggest breakthroughs in robotic surgery. It has been used globally in various surgical procedures with great results. However, this robot is not autonomous. It is remotely controlled by a human doctor.
In the past decade, we have seen a number of technological breakthroughs that have revolutionized the way we do things across multiple industries. The effects of these breakthroughs can be felt in the medical world as well. Based on technological advancements in the past 5 years, we are closer than ever to a future where robots aren’t simply helping doctors perform complex procedures; they’ll be able to replace them entirely.
Autonomous Robots and Us
Thanks to the recent breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence (AI), training machines to perform complex tasks with human adaptability has become easier than ever. As a result, scientists, organizations, and even governments are beginning to actively explore the usage of autonomous robots in operating theatres.
Back in 2017, the US’s DARPA announced a sizeable award for anyone who could develop and roll out robotic doctors capable of replacing human doctors in the operation theatre. The only thing slowing down progress in this field is the social impact of introducing fully autonomous robots into our operation theaters. Right now, people are having a hard time adjusting to the concept of letting robots operate on humans.
The Unpredictability of Surgery
On paper, surgical procedures sound pretty straightforward: make an incision here, snip here, stitch there, and so on. However, the reality of surgery is quite different. While every human body has more or less the same basic layout, there are a lot of factors that are unique to every human being.
Every human body is unique from the inside. The location of blood vessels and nerves, the size of each organ, and the type of tissue (based on a person’s lifestyle, health, medical history, etc.) are all unique. These “slight” variations don’t sound like much, but when a hundred different slight variations add up, they result in a majorly unpredictable situation. This unpredictability is what poses a challenge when developing a robotic doctor.
Right now, people working on autonomous machinery all face the same challenge. They can supply an autonomous machine with an endless amount of real-world data to process and analyze for learning. However, even after hours and hours of processing data and identifying patterns, even the slightest unpredictable factor can leave an autonomous machine confused.
An easy way to understand this problem can be to observe what’s going on with autonomous cars. Companies such as Tesla have rolled out vehicles that drive on their own. However, as of now, these vehicles can only navigate in a few first-world countries, and that too after analyzing years and years of traffic-related data. Even now, these vehicles sometimes have a hard time making decisions when facing challenges on the road. This is why autonomous vehicles still need human drivers on standby behind the wheel.
Just like the open roads and traffic, there are loads of dynamic factors in surgery. Organs jiggle, veins and nerves can flex, and tissue can move around. How do you train a robot to tell when something in a surgical site isn’t where it’s supposed to be?
Doctors Guiding Robots
Right now, it’s safe to say that we can’t trust robots to perform solo surgeries on humans. Current research suggests that this isn’t a good idea either. However, this doesn’t mean that robotic surgeons are a no-go. Plenty of studies show that when an experienced surgeon is present to monitor and guide an autonomous robot, the chances of surgery going wrong due to poor decision-making are greatly reduced.
For now, we can expect to see autonomous robots assisting doctors in operation theaters to a greater degree. Robot surgeons can be relied on for taking care of labor-intensive roles during surgery, while doctors can focus on conducting analyses, making decisions, and guiding robotic surgeons.
As far as the future is concerned, there isn’t anything certain. Having said that, no one can deny the endless potential in the realm of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Judging from the rapid advancements in AI, we can safely assume that we are heading towards a future where we will see fully autonomous surgical robo