Originally published June 4 2005
Robot doctor prototypes tested in Florida
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Called "Remote Presence," or RP6 for short, two robots will soon stand in for human doctors, who control the machines remotely. The robots, currently being tested at St. Mary's Hospital, will also be used for surgical training for junior doctors at London's Imperial College. The robots cost $88,000 each and are operated using a wireless system and a broadband internet connection. The specialist controls the robot off-site using a joystick, and is in full control of the robot's movements, head monitor and camera. The doctor and patients can "see" each other, ask questions, read the patient records, view X-rays and examine test results from a console. While the robot does not physically examine the patient, it does allow face-to-face contact, linking doctors and patients who would not normally be able to communicate intimately. The technology has been developed by InTouch Health, who has piloted several robots before. As part of the new pilot, InTouch will evaluate how patients respond to the robots.
A London hospital has two new members of staff -- two robotic "doctors" that can carry out ward rounds in place of human physicians.
The robots will be trialed in a general surgery ward and the accident and emergency department at St Mary's Hospital.
Called "Remote Presence," or RP6 for short, the robots stand in for a human doctor, who controls the machine remotely.
Project leader Parv Sains, who is Research Fellow at Imperial College, said the robots enabled patients to have access to specialists without the patient or the doctor having to be physically near each other.
"If a specialist is at a conference in California but their medical opinion is needed for a St Mary's patient or to deliver a lecture to junior doctors, the RP6 robot provides an instant and global link at any time of the day or night," Sains said.
The specialist controls the robot off-site using a joystick, and is in full control of the robot's movements, head monitor and camera.
Professor Sir Ara Darzi, head of Imperial College's Division of Surgery, Anesthetics and Intensive Care and a surgeon at St Mary's, lead the move to bring the robots to the UK.
"This is a revolutionary concept which opens new avenues for telemedicine research and integrates technology with healthcare at a grass roots level, increasing the interface between patients, clinicians and teaching staff," he said.
As part of the pilot, a study is being conducted to evaluate how patients respond to the robots.
"What the machines are starting to do is advanced reporting and doing things like brain surgery and hip replacement because they are more precise than a human surgeon.
So where extreme precision is required, doctors are already being replaced by high-end robotics," he said.
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