How Telerobotic Systems Can Use Magnets to Perform Endovascular Procedures?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, telerobotic and autonomous systems can support healthcare professionals such as physiotherapists and surgeons by facilitating fully remote or in-person distance-aware physical treatments and diagnosis services.
Early in the year 2020, rising new challenges highlighted the significance of telerobotics. Several hospitals were inundated with COVID-19 cases and lacked qualified medical personnel and personal protective equipment during the height of the outbreak, catching many nations by surprise (PPE).
If telerobotic solutions were readily available, they could have been a game-changer. Telerobotic healthcare systems managed by remote health professionals would remove providers from the front lines and prevent the spread of the virus. These devices could be utilized for medical material handling and diagnostics, such as taking vital signs or administering vital COVID-19 tests. The sooner this technology is implemented, the better prepared we will be for the next crisis.
Telerobotics in Industry
Automations that utilize multiple robots in interlocking workspaces save customers a substantial amount of floor space but make robot movement control more challenging. Robots can collaborate and avoid collisions in dynamic environments thanks to motion control software that is responsive in real-time.
To accomplish this, all robots in the shared environment must be aware of one another and their predicted paths. Programming for applications that present random parts, such as picking parts from a bin for a machine-tending operation or sorting parts from a conveyor in preparation for downstream kitting, is not aware of this. In such situations, the software schedules collision-free motion by analyzing the trajectories of other robots and planning the appropriate motions in real-time.
Researchers at MIT have developed a telerobotic surgical system that enables a surgeon to remotely treat patients with a stroke or aneurysm. However, endovascular surgeons who specialize in treating such patients may not be available at smaller clinics or remote hospitals. The system could be very helpful because receiving treatment immediately after a stroke is crucial. This system would enable them to provide care regardless of their location. The robot guides a wire through the blood vessels to the clot or aortic dissection using a magnet.
The aforementioned issue prompted these developers to create a telerobotic system that would enable these specialists to perform these procedures remotely, with the intention that the technology could be installed in smaller hospitals and specialists could dial in as necessary. The system consists of a robotic arm with an attached magnet. The remote surgeon is able to move and manipulate the magnet to bend the magnetic tip of the guidewire, and the wire can be advanced or retracted using a motorized system.
In 1995, the first successful telerobotic medical procedure on a human was performed in Italy, according to reports. Five kilometers away, a patient received a prostate biopsy via a robotic telemanipulator. Six years later, true long-distance, fully-controlled remote surgery was introduced, enabled by high-speed, wide-bandwidth communications and adequate computational power. In September 2001, a French surgeon in New York City performed the first complete remote surgery on a patient in Strasbourg, France, 6,230 kilometers away.
Dr. Tejas Patel, a cardiologist from Ahmedabad, performed the first telerobotic surgery on a middle-aged woman. India became the first nation in the world to successfully perform a telerobotic coronary intervention, which is a robotic method for performing coronary angioplasty.
Conclusion
The new field of medical telerobotics is expected to have a significant impact on healthcare. The fact that telerobotics has been considered for a variety of applications and medical disciplines, as demonstrated by the scoping research, demonstrates its potential. It is also important to note that the vast majority of existing systems are local in nature, and their remote operation potential is largely untapped. This indicates that neither the ultimate goal of using robotic tampering in telemedicine to remotely provide specialized medical services nor the full potential of telerobotics has been realized.