How Can AI Benefit Medical Robots?

Artificial intelligence and robotics have long been used in the medical field to save lives. But what does synergizing both technologies mean for medicine and health care? Here are some ways AI boosts robotics capabilities in various medical applications.

1. Optimize Procedures

Critical surgeries have little to zero room for error. AI can help surgical robots perform better and more efficiently, resulting in better patient and doctor experiences. Surgical robots like the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) can administer sutures independently instead of relying on the input of a trained professional.

Medical robots augment doctors’ capabilities in operating rooms by handling complex procedures. The Da Vinci robot teleoperation helps surgeons work on complicated operations remotely. The high-tech system can optimize surgeries by eliminating erratic, involuntary hand movements that significantly reduce the risk of tissue damage. High-tech tools like AI and robotics help minimize potentially harmful mistakes during critical moments, effectively optimizing medical procedures.

2. Robotic Companions for Senior Care

AI can augment medical robots in aged care by providing senior patients with robotic companions that help alleviate loneliness. They give seniors a conversation partner to keep their minds sharp as they age. Other robotic functions in senior care include tracking their health, connecting seniors with their loved ones via phone or video calls and reminding healthcare workers about their checkups and medications.

In 2022, the aged care market was valued at over $1.7 billion, with a forecasted 6.8% growth by 2030. With humans living longer now than ever, the aging population needs a reliable companion to help with their daily routines. Service robots can help care for older people and improve their quality of life by catering to them 24/7. 

3. Perform Repetitive but Critical Functions

Medical robots used in laboratories make efficient partners in various scenarios. AI can supercharge their abilities by making them more efficient and autonomous. Augmented medical robots can function independently, generate accurate results quicker and work non-stop to meet growing healthcare needs and demands.

4. Relieve Overloaded Healthcare Workers

Some medical robots are helping relieve overexerted healthcare professionals worldwide by taking repetitive tasks off their to-do lists. Robot nurses powered by AI technology can interact with human counterparts and handle relatively simple but essential jobs like taking care of samples to and from the laboratory, medication delivery and other administrative tasks.

5. Provide Compassionate Outpatient Care

AI and robotics are also making waves in outpatient medical care. Patients allowed to go home to continue their treatments can rely on medical robots that monitor their health, mood and overall condition using intuitive interactions. 

Patients can also depend on robot companions to give them lifestyle recommendations and medication reminders and send alerts to family members and their physicians if needed. These medical robots help ensure patients receive passionate care even when away from trained healthcare professionals.

6. Recommend Ergonomic Solutions

Medical robots assisting in surgeries help minimize risks to the patient by using cutting-edge technology to deliver high-quality care. At the same time, they can also make procedures easier for surgeons who have to endure long hours inside the operating room. AI-powered robots can assess and analyze data in real-time and suggest ergonomic solutions to ease the burden on surgeons.

These robots can find surgical procedures that can shorten operating times and improve the success rate of complicated surgeries. This feature relieves surgeons’ stress levels, improving their performance during critical operations. Medical professionals are vulnerable to health risks due to the nature of their jobs. Optimizing procedures can lessen the load, protect their health and prolong their careers.

7. Assist in Detection and Diagnosis

Accurate imaging and other scans are vital in delivering quality care to patients. Robotics augments doctors’ ability to issue diagnoses for many types of sickness through the years. In addition, AI assists doctors by checking large databases to provide accurate predictions and suggest personalized treatments based on a patient’s medical history.

Combining these two technologies opens new possibilities in the medical field by streamlining the required processes. AI-powered medical robots can scan images and detect potential health risks autonomously. Physicians can then use the AI system’s accurate prediction to suggest the best treatment plan to patients and nurse them back to health. The synergy of AI and robotics can save valuable time and resources by supercharging doctors’ abilities.

8. Use Large Datasets for Best Practices

Becoming an expert in any specialization in the medical field requires years of continuous study and practice. Experienced specialists continue to perfect their skills by watching video recordings of delicate procedures, logging hundreds if not thousands of hours dedicated to learning. While AI systems can never replace human physicians, they can support them by bringing high computing power and a vast library of high-quality medical data to the operating room.

AI-powered medical robotics redefines what “working smart” means in the medical field. AI models can scan and analyze massive data sets, training on medical sources in order to choose possible treatment or surgical options for many illnesses and injuries. Professionals can better care for patients by learning with highly capable — and high-tech — robotic assistants that can locate the required information for any specific case.

9. Research Emerging Technologies and Procedures

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to curing diseases and providing care in the medical field. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals must study each case and find ways to diagnose and treat every patient’s unique ailments. AI can process millions of pages of the latest medical journals and published papers to help its human counterparts.

As medical researchers continue to seek knowledge, so will AI and robots develop ways to incorporate new methodologies in detection, diagnostics and surgery. Doctors and advanced technologies can shine a light on then-unexplored areas and elevate the standards of professional healthcare services. Developing new technologies and procedures is vital to improving the quality of next-generation medical workers and patient care.

AI in Medical Robotics: A Technological Opportunity

AI and robotics are potent tools for healing in the right hands. The medical applications of both technologies are opening new doors for patients and healthcare professionals. The medicine and healthcare industries must acknowledge the benefits of the two to make compassionate care more accessible and practical to all.