Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Robot Scrub Nurse

Robots are moving into the operating room as nurses as well as surgeons.

Robotic Surgical Tech, Inc. offers their operating room robot - or surgical instrument server - Penelope.

Penelope is voice controlled by the surgeon and has camera eyesight to locate and identify each surgical instrument. The surgeon calls for the tool, "Scalpel," and Penelope hands it over. The latest version also has a database of procedures so that she can predict which tool the surgeon will ask for next.

The creators of the robot nurse see many advantages of her use. The robot will be able to keep track of all of the surgical instruments so that none are accidentally left inside the patient. Penelope has a perfect memory and can record the entire surgical procedure.

By having the robot manage the record keeping and distribution of the surgical tools, it saves time and the frees the nurses to focus more on the patient. While also doing a better job of it.

Robotic Surgical Tech, Inc.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sounds really cool! I hope when it gets used that the hospital will actually still use the same nurses to care for the patient, and not just simply replace them with the robot. That would really suck.

10:40 AM, September 07, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As an emergency RN the very concept of robotic machines providing patient care is not new (blood pressure monitors, SpO2 monitors, life support systems etc) These machines which we rely on are useful and hold a valuable place when used properly. I, however, cannot see the Canadian health care system funding the employ of such machines AND retain the same amount of nursing staff. Where would this money come from? It would either be a machine or a nurse, not both...the concept of android like robots roviding bedside care is the most disturbing turn Ive witnessed in health care thus far.

3:37 PM, October 30, 2006  

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