DOCTOR ROBOT
Physician-guided robots are used more and more in procedures requiring the most delicate of touches. But the next generation of surgical robots could eliminate an otherwise vital element from the mix: the doctor.
In a study published in Ultrasonic Imaging, Duke University bioengineers showed a robot could find a man-made lesion in a simulated human organ, guide a surgical device to the area and take multiple biopsy samples- all without human help. “It can sample up to eight different spots in simulated prostate tissue”, says Kaicheng Liang, who helped to develop the robot arm. It uses an ultrasound system to take scans and an artificial intelligence program to process the information and send action commands in response. Next, a mechanical hand works a biopsy plunger device, as would a doctor. The researchers believe that robots could perform many more surgical tasks.
NO-DRILL DENTAL WORK
Blasting through a decaying tooth to reach cavity can involve drilling out healthy parts of a tooth to get to a small area of location.
Enter Icon , new treatment for early cavities. A quick-flowing liquid resin is injected into the tooth, reaching the inner lattice of decay faster than traditional metal or composite fillings can. Once inside the problem spot, it solidifies and stops the cavity from processing
“Patients love it because there is no anesthetic and no drilling”, says one dentist who has been using the sure-to-be-popular product for more than a year.
"A robot can locate lesions and take biopsies without human assistance."
"Cavities are stopped before they need to be treated in traditional ways."