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While medical robots seem impossible in the past, they are now gaining popularity as a transformative tool for the medical industry. These robotic systems have helped streamline various healthcare operations. They can help in disease diagnosis and assist surgeons in performing surgery, among other delicate procedures, to improve patient’s quality of life.
Since they are computer-controlled, medical robots may be important assistants in delivering delicate healthcare operations requiring high precision and accuracy. This article explores their role in the medical industry, discussing the various types, including the manufacturing processes used in creating them.
What are Medical Robots?
Medical robots refer to sophisticated robotic systems designed for use in medical science and other health-related indications. They include robots and devices that help streamline and assist
surgeons with medical procedures, rehabilitation, pharmacy automation, and other related medical tasks.
These robots utilize cutting-edge technologies to augment healthcare professionals’ capabilities, enhancing the overall quality of care. Medical robots may also prove vital in disease diagnosis and prognosis. The device is tailored to operate within the complex and dynamic environment of the human body, often with high precision and accuracy.
Common Types of Medical Robots
Medical robots come in different forms, each with a specific function to improve healthcare. Below, we discuss the common types of medical robots.
Surgical Robot
As the name suggests, these are medical robots designed to assist surgeons in performing surgeries and other invasive medical procedures. Because of this, they are sometimes called robot-assisted surgery systems. These systems may feature robotic arms with specialized instruments and consoles, allowing the surgeon to easily control the robot’s movement.
Integrating these surgical robots into medical procedures offers numerous advantages. This includes increased precision of cuts and incisions, reduced trauma, minimized blood loss, short hospital stays, and quick patient recovery times. A typical example of a surgical robot is the da Vinci Surgical System, used in procedures like hysterectomy and cardiac surgeries.
Rehabilitation Robot
Again, this medical robot’s name gives an insight into its role. Rehabilitation robots help patients with issues with mobility and strength following an injury, surgery, or disease condition like stroke or spinal or other orthopedic-related injury. This robotic system is designed to assist the physiotherapist in providing the patients with specified exercises to alleviate their condition effectively.
These robots also feature a feedback system effective for monitoring the progress of the rehabilitation process. These robots come in different forms, ranging from robotic exoskeletons to wearable devices or robots equipped with interactive interfaces. Depending on the patient’s condition, the rehabilitation robot assists in creating personalized and intensive therapy targeted at regaining full body functions and enhancing the quality of life.
Service Robot
Service robots are versatile robotic systems in healthcare settings for various non-clinical tasks. However, these activities, including medication delivery and patient transportation, also improve healthcare services. They help streamline the hospital workflows, reducing the needle manual labor and enhancing efficiency in healthcare, particularly in long-term care facilities.
These robots just require the operators to configure the required action per time, and they can work independently. Service robots may also suit applications in facility maintenance, distribution of supplies within the hospital departments, and function as robotic carts for meal delivery and waste disposal.
Assistant Robot
Assistant robots serve as collaborative partners to healthcare professionals. As their name indicates, they serve as assistants to healthcare experts, providing support for simple tasks like patient monitoring to more complex activities like data analysis and surgical intervention.
These robotic systems feature sophisticated sensors, AI algorithms, and intuitive interfaces for augmenting clinical operations. Assistant robots may prove effective in tough decision-making that can enhance the quality of the patient’s life. They also help streamline communication with other healthcare professionals, improving the overall workflow.
Assistant robots provide healthcare professionals with real-time data needed for improving patient care. They may also prove important in performing routine tasks since they can be automated, further enhancing workflows.
Non-therapeutic Service Robot
Non-therapeutic service robots are versatile robotic systems designed for diverse operations within healthcare facilities that do not involve patient interaction. They suit various operations and tasks like inventory management, environmental monitoring, sterilization, and maintaining hygiene standards within clinics.
While they do not specifically interact with patients, they play crucial roles that help optimize operational efficiency. They may also prove vital in avoiding cross-contamination, which is vital in several ways in improving the patient’s condition by reducing the risk of infections.
These medical robots show the relationship between technology and healthcare, demonstrating how the former can significantly improve the latter. As we have reiterated in this article, the primary purpose of these AI systems is to enhance clinic and hospital operational efficiency and the overall quality of life of their patients.
Manufacturing for Medical Robots
Manufacturing medical robots involves using high-precision engineering techniques to ensure they meet the medical industry’s stringent requirements. Below, we discuss the standard processes for creating these robots.
CNC Machining
CNC machining is the go-to technique for fabricating parts for medical robots because of its versatility and superior precision and accuracy. It’s a subtractive manufacturing technique that uses computer-controlled cutters to cut off pieces from a workpiece until the desired shape is achieved.
Once the design is created and made into what the device can interpret, the machine can work with little to no human interference, reinforcing its precision and efficiency. CNC machining is suitable for the accurate fabrication of intricate components and mechanical parts, regardless of its design complexities. Machining operations offer exceptional flexibility, making them an excellent choice for rapid prototyping and customization of robotic components to meet specific requirements.
Sheet Metal Fabrication
Sheet metal fabrication is a manufacturing technique for creating parts and structures from thin metal sheets. Relating to medical robots, sheet metal fabrication suits the fabrication of lightweight and durable components such as frames, enclosures, and covers. Sheet metal fabrication utilizes various manufacturing techniques such as cutting, bending, welding, and forming. In addition, it may also integrate CNC machining services to enhance its precision metal fabrication, allowing for the creation of robust and aesthetically pleasing structures that withstand the rigors of medical environments. Whether it’s the housing for a robotic control unit or the protective casing for sensitive electronic components, sheet metal fabrication offers versatility and reliability in producing medical robot assemblies.
3D Printing
3D printing is commonly known as additive manufacturing. The 3D printer deposits the materials precisely layer by layer until the desired shape of the intended digital model is achieved. Unlike other processes discussed earlier, 3D printing utilizes its materials in smaller units – powder, filaments, pellets, or granules.
This feature makes it suitable for fabricating almost any conceivable structure, making it valuable for creating complex geometries and customizing parts. Because of its addictive nature, 3D printing produces little to no waste. Also, it offers cost-effective solutions for innovative robotic systems for healthcare applications.
Conclusion
Medical robots represent the connection between technology and healthcare, showcasing how innovative tech can significantly benefit the medical industry. These devices help streamline the workflow in healthcare facilities while assisting medical professionals in delivering premium care services to their patients.
While medical robots still face some limitations, their use is already on the rise. With increasing technological advancements, these robotic systems will continue to become more accessible and may even be the future of modern medicine.
