Biology Forums - Study Force

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgery

Do you feel Robots can perform Surgeries or assist Surgeons in performing Surgeries?

Thanks & Regards,
Prashant S Akerkar

A lot of surgeries today are done with the aid of robots, whether it be in enhancing visualization, dexterity, or adding greater precision to an intricate operation, like brain surgery. To be honest, without robots, I don't think many medical advancements of today would be possible. In fact, with laparoscopic surgery - compared to open surgery - you have:

• Shorter hospitalization
• Reduced pain and discomfort
• Faster recovery time and return to normal activities
• Smaller incisions, resulting in reduced risk of infection
• Reduced blood loss and transfusions
• Minimal scarring

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any follow up questions

I think Human Surgeons should never be replaced with robots! I know nowadays we see human are being replaced by machines such as in a bank or grocery stores as well as some manufacturing companies but when it comes to human body I think it’s too risky to deal with robots.  There may be a sudden difference in complication and humans have the ability to think based on the situation.
But how someone could I trust a cold machine with no thinking nor flexibility made purely for material benefits and can have technical issues.

I somewhat disagree with this because what if they're *really* well-programmed? Think of Tesla, they're manufacturing cars that are capable of driving themselves, and people don't seem to mind.


You're right about this, "conscience" is not a programmable feature, I think that's what really separates us from bots

Tesla is good programmed robots however, driving is completely different than working on human body. With driving, you can program the car to certain situations because with driving you know what’s happening for example a passenger suddenly crossing the road so you should stop etc. However, with surgery you can also well program the robots but sometimes other complications can happen and you need an expert human mind to know what to do in that case. That’s what I think.

It's funny how you'd trust a car to drive you autonomously but you have a problem with robots fixing a wound. The point is we're moving in the right direction with technology, and as computers become faster, they'll eventually be superior to the human mind. In the meantime though, robots do need human assistance to perform rationally and correctly. Even the Tesla requires you hold the steering wheel every n seconds to ensure safety.