Often infused with artificial intelligence, robotic arms are one technology proving to have enormous benefits in the healthcare industry. From patient care to diagnostic purposes and treatments, robotic arms are helping to optimize the medical industry, and the demand for them is beginning to surge globally.
Robotic Arm Helps in Medical Surgeries
Mako by Stryker, a medical device company specializing in Medical and Surgical, Neurotechnology, Orthopedics, and Spine, is one robotic arm technology seeing an increase in demand, mostly in the United States.
Launched in 2017, Mako robotic technology is reportedly the first-to-market robotic arm machine designed to assist surgeons in placing knee implants based on an individual patient’s unique anatomy.
The robotic arm works using 3D CT-based pre-operative planning. Before surgery, a CT scan of the patient’s knee is taken and used to create a 3D virtual model of the patient’s unique joint. Afterwards, the doctors would prepare a patient-specific surgical plan, with which they will guide Mako’s robotic arm in performing the surgery.
In its Q2 FY23 financial report, the company behind Mako, Stryker, disclosed a strong and growing level of demand for the technology in the United States and beyond.
Stryker currently plans to expand Mako to support more applications, like the spine and shoulder, later in 2024. At the moment, Mako only supports knee surgery procedures – Partial Knee, Total Hip, and Total Knee. With the planned expansion, Stryker expects that Mako will drive its future growth going forward.
Powerful Applications of Robotics Technology in Healthcare
Other than surgery procedures, robot technology can also be employed for several other activities in hospitals, like performing laboratory tests, delivering materials or medicines to patients and healthcare workers, and so on. These robotic arms can also be used to conduct sophisticated surgeries.
Back in 2016, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) deployed a robotic arm to assist neurosurgeons in performing complicated neurosurgeries. According to reports, the robot is able to analyse brain dysfunctions accurately and identify the part that requires treatment.
“Earlier experts at AIIMS performed surgeries manually using stereotactic frame. But the robotic arm, an European technology originally, has helped identify exact spot of bother for providing better treatment. The surgeries are being conducted free of cost,” one of the doctors at AIIMS said.
In another game-changing application of robotic technology in the healthcare sector, researchers at the University of Sheffield announced a new robotics device that can supply medical treatment to casualties in high-risk emergency environments with human intervention.
