27-06-2011, 03:00 PM
ABSTRACT
The field of surgery is entering a time of great change, spurred on by remarkable recent advances in surgical and computer technology. Only recently have robotic systems made their way into the operating room as dexterity-enhancing surgical assistants and surgical planners, in answer to surgeons' demands for ways to overcome the surgical limitations of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.
The first generation of surgical robots is already being installed in a number of operating rooms around the world. These aren't true autonomous robots, but they are lending a mechanical helping hand to surgeons. Remote control and voice activation are the methods by which these surgical robots are controlled.
Robotics is being introduced to medicine because they allow for unprecedented control and precision of surgical instruments in minimally invasive procedures. The ultimate goal of the robotic surgery field is to design a robot that can be used to perform closed-chest, beating-heart surgery.
Robots in the field of surgery have dramatically changed the procedures for the better. The most significant advantage to Robotic Surgery the patient is the decrease in pain and scaring. The smallness of the incisions also causes many other advantages that make Robotic Surgery worth the risk. Besides the obvious rewards to the patient, Robotic Surgery is also very advantageous to the surgeon and hospital.