Free Republic

Getting stitched up by Dr. Robot may one day be reality: Scientists have created a robotic system that did just that in living animals without a real doctor pulling the strings. Much like engineers are designing self-driving cars, Wednesday’s research is part of a move toward autonomous surgical robots, removing the surgeon’s hands from certain tasks that a machine might perform all by itself. No, doctors wouldn’t leave the bedside — they’re supposed to supervise, plus they’d handle the rest of the surgery. Nor is the device ready for operating rooms. But in small tests using pigs, the robotic arm...

A researcher at John Hopkins claims to have developed haptic technology, which they say will allow doctors to ‘feel’ the work of a mechanical helper. Allison Okamura, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, and a leading researcher in human-machine interaction, has said that by adding the sensation of touch, surgeons will be able to feel what the robotic fingers probes in the body, thereby allowing greater precision in surgical procedures. "Surgeons have asked for this kind of feedback. So we're using our understanding of haptic technology to try to give surgeons back the sense of touch that they lose when...

Robots the size of flies controlled by computers smaller than grains of salt could be with us within two years. A prototype "millibot" is being built to see if scientists can miniaturise to the scale of a nanometre – a millionth of a millimetre – to build intelligent materials and microscopic machines. James Ellenbogen of the Mitre Corporation told the association that the first insect-like robot – a motorised silicon chip with six legs – could be built by the end of 2004. "Once we decide on the right fit, I'd be pleased as punch if we had one next...