The use of robotic devices are expected to continue to spread into offices and homes, as older appliances are replaces with newer robotic equivalents. Domestic robots capable of performing many household tasks, described in science fiction stories and coveted by the public in the 1960s, are likely to be perfected in actuality.
It is anticipated that some degree of convergence between humans and robots will become a reality. Some humans already have artificial body parts and even parts of the nervous system replaced by artificial analogues; such as, pacemakers. In many cases the same technology might be used both in robotics and in medicine.
So it is that in medicine, a robotic tool is an automatic mechanical device designed to duplicate a human function without direct human operation.
An example of an android or a male robot. Yes, there are gender differences among the robots. They definitely should not all be labeled as androids.
An example of a gynoid or a female robot. Yes, there are gender differences among the robots. All robots should not be labeled as androids.
A genderless robot which does not have male or female characteristics should be referred to as a neuteroid which is a new term for this species of robots. This is the third of three gender differences applicable to robots. So, it should not be difficult to remember that not all robots are androids.
Laparoscopic refers to abdominal examination with an endoscope or laparoscope which is designed to permit medical personnel to examine a patient's abdominal cavity.
Robotic prostatectomy is one of the newest treatment approaches available for early stage prostate cancer and it offers the appropriate candidate a minimally invasive treatment with less blood loss and a more rapid overall recovery.
A da Vinci Robot replicates the surgeon's hand movements real time in laparoscopic instruments. It cannot be programmed, nor does it make any independent decisions; in other words, it does only what the surgeon's hands indicate during the surgical process.
Although visually similar to standard laparascopic instruments, the robotic instruments have the additional advantage of being articulated or united by joints. This allows the instruments not only to open and close but to fully turn and twist, allowing more natural mimicry of the human hand and wrist.
These instruments are much smaller than the normal hand and many of the jaws of the tools are similar or shorter in length than a person's fingernail. This allows very small and precise incisions to carefully dissect any part of the prostate.
Current systems consist of computer-controlled electromechanical devices that work in response to controls manipulated by the surgeon.
"This makes them ideal for operating on subcellular structures; such as, the axon, the long tail by which a neuron sends information to its neighbors and which are far too small for even the finest robotic surgical hands to maneuver."