Humans are not ideal for repetitive and monotonous work, and therefore they are being replaced by robots. However, with the advent of Artificial intelligence (AI), the once limited scope of Robot employment is widening. Robots lower production costs and increase productivity simultaneously. As per the International Federation of Robotics, 74 robot units per 10,000 employees is the new average of global robot density in the manufacturing industry alone.
Now, other sectors, such as laboratory research, earth and space exploration, transport, and many more, are highly utilizing robots. The Healthcare Industry has undertaken the adoption of robots for accomplishing different (and often complex) tasks. Clinical training, complicated surgeries, personal care, medicine dispensing, etc. are just a few among the many applications in which AI and Robotics have addressed and provided successful solutions.
According to the International Federation of Robotics, sales of medical robots have risen by 73% compared to 2016 to 2,931 units in 2017, deeming for a share of 2.7% of the total unit sales of professional service robots. Robot-assisted surgery or therapy is the chief application of Robots in the Healthcare industry. However, this requirement for robots has been slowly increasing for other applications as well.
The following list discusses the peak applications of robots in the Healthcare Industry.
Providing Patient Care Services.
Care Robots are in high demand, usually in the aging population and patients with dementia and other mental diseases. Care robots fetch food and water, give mobility and transportation support, set medication reminders, and perform routine body check-ups (like temperature, blood pressure, sugar levels).
Sanitation And Disinfection.
Lack of hygiene and poor sanitation leads to many diseases, for which it is necessary to perform regular disinfection and sanitation processes. Hospitals deploy specialized robots to scan the hospital and execute the air circulating and surface disinfection processes. UV sterilization robots are one such example that eliminates bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms that can cause infections.
Distribution Of Medicines And Hazardous materials.
Dispensing medicine rapidly and accurately can be crucial during emergencies, especially in large hospital environments that can expect to see an influx of patients at any given moment. This dispensing of medicines can also involve handling sensitive liquids or viscid materials. To carry out these tasks in an error-free way, hospitals use Dispensing robots.
Training For Clinical Situations.
Clinical Training Robots produce a realistic simulation in which healthcare providers can enhance their skills and knowledge. Manufactured by Gaumard Scientific, Pediatric Hal is an Artificial Intelligence that can mimic a five-year-old child and displays symptoms of cardiac arrest and arrhythmia. It also has human-like responses such as facial expressions, mimicking crying, imitating rapid breathing, thus providing a real “working under pressure” condition to the healthcare trainees.
Surgical Applications.
Surgery is one of the finest applications of robots in the Healthcare industry so far. A surgical robot can provide a 3-D view along with high-definition and magnification capabilities. Also, Robot-assisted surgeries are “minimally invasive” than traditional surgical procedures and are more precise and flexible. Surgical Robots also reduce hospital stay and cause fewer complications. They are used extensively for surgical procedures such as bariatric, orthopedic, urological, and gynecological.
The utilization of Robots in Healthcare is a broad subject to cover. There are many benefits and drawbacks of employing robots in this particular industry. Because they are less invasive, Robots reduce blood loss and improve the recovery time for the patients. On the other hand, the chances of errors and failures associated with robots are always a possibility. However, with each new application and feature, healthcare robots are expected to improve in accuracy, quality, operational efficiencies, and safety.
