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Figure 3 – The ARMin Assists a Patient in Rehabilitation 
Source: Swiss National Science Foundation The benefits received through the use of robotic systems in the medical industry are more directly experienced by an individual than those benefits perceived in the automotive industry. With the direct involvement of the patient and robot, a patient can better understand the need and utility of robotics in surgery. As mentioned several times, the medical industry is all about increasing patient care and satisfaction, and robots are not introduced to rid doctors and surgeons of their duties but to complement their skills and knowledge in patient aid. The disadvantages of the use of robotic systems in the medical field disseminate far more than the few disadvantages of the systems being used in the automotive industry. When there is a malfunctioning robot on the production line, it can be fixed and the damaged products can be scrapped and replaced. There is no room for error in the medical industry. Also, robots, while beneficial in some areas on the surgical field, are not applicable to many areas; they are limited in their use. Other disadvantages include the lack of doctor/patient relations, safety concerns, high costs of medical robot procedures, and additional education required by doctors and surgeons. Finding a good doctor or surgeon that a patient can trust can take a long time. Relationships build between a doctor and his or her patient through many years of interaction, consulting, and procedures. Fear can be brought about in patients when they learn that a machine will be involved in their procedure. The fear of something going wrong can cause the patient’s trust in the doctor to diminish when there is machine that will be performing most of the procedure. Since surgical robotics are still relatively new, there might not be enough positive reactions for the patient to have faith in the robot. The use of robotic systems in surgery has not progressed far enough for some doctors and patients to fully accept it (Cao & Rogers). If a patient thinks that the medical field is not fully confident with a robot assisting a surgery, how can that patient be confident nothing will go wrong? The relationship between a doctor (or surgeon) and a patient can be hindered with the use of a robot in the patient’s care. The patient feels more comfortable with a doctor’s personal care and touch is helping the patient; these are not seen from an emotionless machine. For patients and doctors to be more content with the use of technology in medical procedures, this technology needs to be gradually integrated (Cao & Rogers). Some agree that this use of technology has increased too quickly. With the fear of using a machine to perform or assist in surgical procedures come other safety concerns. Malfunction is the first word that comes to most minds. There is no room for error when a lifeless machine is assisting in or performing the operation. A well-educated technician is always required to be on hand in case something goes awry. In an extreme case of emergency, it is difficult for the surgeon to remove the robot from the patient. It takes much effort and time to carefully remove the machine because of its size and the having to assess the patient’s condition. All of the benefits to be perceived from robot-assisted surgery do not come without higher costs of these procedures. These expensive costs are seen by hospitals and patients. Hospitals have to cover the costs of surgical systems such as the da Vinci Surgical System which costs upwards of $1.5 million for the equipment alone (maintenance and repairs are not included). As technology advances, so too may the prices, but currently, robot-assisted surgery is not affordable for many. A fourth critical disadvantage with the use of robotic systems is the requirement of additional education for surgeons and doctors. Once the machine is delivered and set up in a hospital, a doctor is not going to fully understand how to use the robot. Implementing a robotic system in surgery requires much technical education and experience. Robots are complex machines, and with these machines come processes and instruments that need to be fully understood in order to adequately be put into practice. It is not difficult to see the many limitations that robotic surgery is not facing. As the technology advances further, these limitations will diminish. For now, however, these limitations are causes for concern by patients and doctors, alike. When considering robot-assisted surgery, a patient must consider these limitations and weigh them against the benefits they expect to receive. Hopefully the future advancements of this technology will make these decisions easier. Now that the history, benefits, and limitations of robotic systems in the automotive and medical industries have been discussed, I will now share what I conclude on these technologies and which side I consider to be convincing. It is quite obvious the impact that technology has had on society in recent years. Technology is something that we cannot avoid; it is being applied to any industry that it is thought to benefit, which is every industry. Thirty years ago no one would have even dreamed of a robot or other machine performing the tasks that robots are currently achieving in the automotive and medical industries. I am certainly a believer in the limitless boundaries that robotic systems have in our society. I am a supporter of these machines in both industries. To start with the automotive industry, the implementation of robots to perform certain tasks benefits society in many ways. I agree with the fact that the robotic systems are creating a standard for higher quality workers. Our society needs to agree with the fact that increased technology will require better jobs. We cannot focus on the jobs taken away by robotic systems, most of which can be demeaning. Robots increase the quality of our products which is a benefit to all consumers. Not only are products leaving the production line as a result of automated machines in the automotive industry, they are reaching the consumer at a lower cost than an automobile produced entirely on man-hours. As with the current environmental concerns, these automotive companies are quickly putting automobiles to market with less waste. This is a perfect example of a long term benefit to be perceived from the use of robots. We need to be concerned with the amount of waste we produce day in and day out. With less mistakes made by robotic systems in the auto industry, these companies can lessen their impact made on the environment. The paint robots reducing the amount of paint required to seal an automobile is a terrific example. These paint robots also take away future health risks seen by workers that used to acquire these jobs. With respect to the few disadvantages of robots in the auto industry, the removal of jobs by these machines is not a well-supported argument. The only jobs robots are taking away consist of tasks that required demeaning, repetitive tasks that may even be hazardous to the worker’s health. The high costs of research and implementation have shown to be worthwhile with the increased production with less waste and environmental impact. In a cost-benefit analysis of the automotive industry’s use of robotic systems, the benefits far outweigh the costs. As technology advances further, those benefits received will further surpass the disadvantages. The medical industry’s reception of benefits is not as cut and dry as the automotive industry’s reception. I do agree that the implementation of robotic systems in surgery and other areas is proving to have a bigger impact on society every day. Providing less invasive procedures for patients is a remarkable step made in the surgical field. Going through surgery is tough. Minimizing the recovery time and the scar permits the patient to get on with his or her life quicker. This is a result of more accurate procedures by removing the human hand from critical areas that have little room for error. Robots also are removing tasks in the medical industry that are demeaning and time consuming and performing them quicker with greater accurate. Pharmacists are able to interact with patients more, taking advantage of the time saved from having to manually fill prescriptions. I think that every opportunity that the medical industry has to increase patient satisfaction should be taken advantage of. Patient care is what the medical industry was founded on. The other benefits discussed before in the use of pharmaceutical companies are incredible. The faster a new medication can get to the patient with the required research and testing the better. Robots allow research and testing to be performed more accurately and efficiently. With respect to the current disadvantages of robotic systems in the medical industry, they will all continue to diminish as the technology advances. The safety concerns are becoming very minimal as the assistance of robots in surgery is becoming more widespread. The high costs of robot –assisted surgeries will lower as technology progresses as seen throughout all industries. The longer a technology is around, the more affordable it becomes. It is important to note that robots are limited only to the procedures in which they are clinically proven to benefit. These procedures include those that are less complex; but with the progression of the robotic systems in surgery come more complex procedures that these machines can benefit. I do not personally think that the extra education required by doctors and surgeons is a good argument against the use of robot-assisted surgery. Doctors are constantly doing research to keep up with new diagnoses and treatment methods. Having to learn how to implement a new machine to assist in surgery is not any different. Surgeons should see this technology as beneficial and should put them at ease when performing surgery by removing tremors. It looks like robots are here to stay in the medical field and the cost-benefit analysis again shows in the favor of robots. Since the rise of computers less than thirty years ago, technology has reached all industries with magnificent benefits. The impact on society is far reaching. And to answer my initial question and repeat myself, yes, the social issues surrounding the use of robotic systems (although they should never be completely overlooked) are insignificant to the remarkable benefits received. Society will continue to move with the influence of technology. If history repeats itself, I can almost guarantee it will, as a society we need to grasp the benefits of technology and observe that it is what’s bringing us together. The use of technology is not about achieving just efficiency; it is about achieving a better quality of life.
Works Cited “The 2003 Inductees: Unimate.” The Robot Hall of Fame. Carnegie Mellon. 9 Nov. 2008 Au, Yu, Sylvia Cho, Bamboo Dong, Suraj Gorkhali, Sara Lee, and Joseph Leung. “Robotic Surgery.” Division of Biology and Medicine. Spring 2005. Brown University. 15 Nov. 2008 Brumson, Bennett. “Robots for Life: Laboratory, Medical and Life Science Applications.” Robotics Online. 19 Apr. 2008. 28 Sept. 2008 Cao, Caroline, and Gary Rogers. Robotics in Health Care: HF Issues in Surgery. 2006. Tufts University. 28 Sept. 2008 “The da Vinci Surgical System.” Da Vinci Surgery. 9 Nov. 2008 Feder, Barnaby. “Prepping Robots to Perform Surgery.” New York Times 4 May 2008. Grohmann, Udo. “Paint Robots in the Automotive Industry - Process and Cost Optimization.”
Haugen, David, and Susan Musser, eds. Technology and Society. New York: Greenhaven P, Incorporated, 2007. “The History and Benefits of Industrial Robots.” UsedRobots.com. RobotWorx. 9 Nov. 2008 Hockstein, N. G., C. G. Gourin, R. A. Faust, and D. J. Terris. “A History of Robots: From Science Wction to Surgical Robotics.” Journal of Robotic Surgery. 17 Mar. 2007. 9 Nov. 2008 Jerome, Marty. “Motown Blues--As Auto Industry Restructures, Detroit Dies.” Wired Blog Network. 29 Nov. 2007. 14 Nov. 2008
Mills, Paul. “Applying Robotics to Your Paint Line.” Products Finishing Magazine. 14 Nov. 2008 “Picture of the Month - January 2005.” Swiss National Science Foundation. 28 Jan. 2005. 15 Nov. 2008 “Robot” Merriam-Webster. 9 Nov. 2008 “Robotic Surgery.” Wikipedia. 2 Nov. 2008. 9 Nov. 2008 Rodriguez y Baena, Dr. Ferdinando. “Man and the Machine.” Computing & Control Engineering 17 (2006): 28-31. “Surgery's Future Is Here Today.” Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery Services. 31 Oct. 2008. University of Iowa Health Care. 14 Nov. 2008 Weimer, George. “Robots Take Over Automotive Plant Floors.” Robotics Online. 3 Aug. 2001. 28 Sept. 2008 "What Is Rehabilitation Robotics?" WiseGeek. 14 Nov. 2008 Directory: chansavj -> CS306 -> Spring08 -> Fall08 CS306 -> Linsi Crabbs Artificial Intelligence chansavj -> Does Automotive Service Excellence (ase) Certification Enhance JobPerformance of Automotive Service Technicians? chansavj -> How to Trim Your Car Insurance Bill Fall08 -> Student4 1/17/2008 CS306 -> Samsung handset focus to be on Windows Mobile, Android and Bada in 2010, says senior vp Download 186.14 Kb. Share with your friends:
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