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One of the pieces at the exhibition emphasising the message that robots can be
used in surgery |
Are we in safe hands with robotic surgeons?
Exhibition shows how tiny devices may be able to operate on us
FROM bomb disposal and space exploration to the installation of microchips – robots have been designed to do jobs deemed too tedious, dangerous or precise for mankind.
Hollywood films such as The Terminator or I Robot have warned how super-intelligent machines could one day take the upper hand and wipe out the human race.
The function creep of technology has already begun superseding librarians and checkout staff in supermarkets.
But could a robot revolution take place in the complex field of surgery?
The question is being explored in an exhibition at the Hunterian Museum in the Royal College of Surgeons in Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
The centrepiece is a new model army of “mini-robot” prototypes, which can crawl and swim inside the human body.
The ARES Robot is swallowed like a pill, pooling together inside the body with up to 15 different robotic modules and assembling into a larger device, capable of carrying out surgical procedures.
With no need for incision, body scars from operations could become a thing of the past.
Professor Dr Arianna Menciassi developed the ARES at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna university in Italy.
She said: “Many mini and micro-robots have biologically inspired designs which emulate the crawling and wriggling motion of worms and insects, or the swimming motion of bacteria.
“We turned to biological inspiration because worms have locomotion systems suited to unstructured, slippery environments and are ideally suited for use in the human body.”
The exhibition also features some famous medical robots from the world of science fiction – from the 1920s “Pyschophonic Nurse” to cartoon stars in Japanese Manga films. Classic designs include “Probot” – a robot designed to aid prostate gland surgery – and “Freehand”, a camera holder for keyhole surgery. Medical droid toys from the Star Wars trilogy will also be on display.
Scientists say the exhibition showed how designers have been inspired by the representation of medical robots in films, books and comics.
Curator Sarah Pearson said: “Only more recently have robots been used to tackle major medical challenges. They have been designed to increase surgeons’ dexterity and control, to support busy nursing staff, or to help doctors make diagnoses. Some of these are proven technologies, while others are still experimental, but we hope that the exhibition will show that robotic surgery is finally coming of age.”
The museum is also hosting robot-building and Manga workshops for children and there will be screenings of related sci-fi and anime films.
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