The term robot was invented by the Robotics Institute of America in the late 1940s as a machine that executes mechanical functions just like human beings but lacks the same “sensitivity” as a human.
Initially, robots were designed and employed to work like humans, especially in the manufacturing industry, FMCG industry, and automotive industry, but later, robotics engineers observed that they were capable of working in other application areas due to their ability to multitask efficiently and faster. Hence, robotics engineers introduced medical robotics into the healthcare sector, causing a drastic change in the outlook for treatment and diagnostics.
With advances in technologies, the utilization of robotic devices has upscaled from spearheading lab tests to automating medical procedures to collaborative robotics (cobots), helping healthcare workers in surgeries and improving treatment outcomes with negligible error encounters.
This exclusive AI Tech Park article focuses on the application of cobots in healthcare while keeping ethical considerations in mind. In addition, we will also focus on the ongoing research and development of robotics in healthcare.
Ethical Considerations Concerning Collaborative Robots
The constant interaction between humans and cobots often raises privacy, security, and accountability issues, as these concerns are not limited to people who are utilizing them but also to those engineers and healthcare practitioners who develop, assemble, feed, and oversee the technologies.
When it comes to robot-human contact, privacy is the utmost concern, as cobots have the potential to gather, store, and process large-scale data and advance themselves with time. The data may include personal and confidential information of patients, doctors, or engineers, which may be utilized in numerous ways to violate their privacy.
To preserve individual privacy, it is important to set rules for data gathering and feeding algorithms in cobots, keeping in mind the regulations imposed by the government. Strong security features should not be overlooked while designing cobots, along with regular policy updates to fend off new threats.
Automation and robotics in healthcare are actively becoming part of the ecosystem, benefiting every stakeholder in the value chain. The rise of robots from lab testers to cobots is evidence that we have paved the route for revolutionizing the healthcare industry with new technologies.
In the coming years, we can expect robotic engineers and researchers to advance in sensors, communication, and motion control technologies that will enable medical cobots to be more precise and autonomous. The introduction of advanced surgical cobots will also widen the scope of assisting surgeons to single-handedly perform complex surgeries without much data feeding. Along with that, we can expect robots to make quick decisions by sensing the emergency of a patient’s condition.
With this progressive mindset, the field of robotics will flourish, making way for new and unique applications for human welfare.
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