The End

The semester is coming to an end and so is this blog. Over the course of the last few months I’ve posted on many different examples of how robotics is being used or will be used in society. Some have been interesting, others funny and admittedly a few have been a little boring. However, whether you are a loyal reader or simply stopped by every once in a while to get your robot fix I hope that this blog has helped to show you the many different ways that robotics can be used.

If you’re interested in learning about what robots are doing you should check out Automation, which is a blog on IEEE spectrum that discusses some of the latest in robotics and automation technology.

State of the Blog Address (self evaluation #3)

Dancing engineers and their robots

A while back I had a post about Robocup which is primarily a tournament for robot soccer teams. However, I have just recently found out that there is also a dance challenge as one of the categories in the junior Robocup competition. The idea is for a team of kids to build a group of dancing robots and then create a performance which includes both themselves and the robots.

The video shows some short clips of some of the finalists in the 2010 competition.

Robot Assisted Surgery

Using robots to perform minimally invasive surgery has become more common in the last few years. This article from MSNBS talks about several hospitals in Memphis which together perform about 1000 robot assisted surgeries each year. The costs and benefits of using the robot for surgery depend on the type of surgery but in most cases the patent has a faster recovery time, less pain and a shorter stay in the hospital.  The monetary cost, as compared to conventional methods, varies with the type of surgery and is sometimes less expensive and other times more. A downside to using the robot is for many surgeries the procedure takes longer than when using conventional methods. There are some exceptions though like the example discussed in the article where the conventional method would have required cutting open the jaw in order the access the throat. Using the robot not only allowed for a faster procedure but it also eliminated the future problems some patients have with speaking or swallowing as a result of the jaw has been cut open.

The diagram below shows the da Vinci Surgical System which is a popular example of a robot surgical system.

Another issue with this method is the steep learning curve associated with operating the robot. The surgeon uses hand controls to operate the robot and a camera for feedback. The robot itself has three or four arms each with a tool on the end. The controls are such that the robot is basically following the movements of the surgeon (it’s not really making any decisions on its own) but remove any shakiness from the motion. This also creates the possibility of slowing down the motion if necessary to increase precision.

Although this technology is already doing a lot to help surgeons, like most robots it still has room for improvement. Currently it’s only practical for some surgeries and the availability is limited but someday robots may be common place in operating rooms.