Remote Robotic Breast Exams
The good people at Michigan State University have come up with an unusual application for robotics. They’ve devised a robotic arm that enables physicians to give remote breast exams:
Here’s how it will work: A physician or other health-care provider, located in a hospital or clinic, will slip his or her hand into a glove-like instrument. That will allow him or her to move the robotic arm that is with the patient in a remote location.
“That arm, which actually looks like a hand, is equipped with sensors,” said Carol Slomski, chairperson of MSU’s Department of Surgery and co-director of the project. “As the hand touches the patient, the sensation from this touch comes back into my hand. When the robotic fingers feel a lump or some other abnormality, I also feel it.”
While I can see the practical applications of this device, there are some serious social barriers to overcome. After all, who wants to get felt up by a robot? And don’t get me started on the remote prostate exams.
jd