This remote medical care robot for use in emergency situations is under development by a research group at Waseda University, led by Dr. Hiroyasu Iwata.
“If a person receives an impact in an accident, there is a possibility that they could have internal bleeding. In emergency rooms, there’s a diagnostic method called FAST, using ultrasound imaging to check for internal bleeding. But that can’t be done until the patient reaches the hospital. So our idea is that this robot can be put on the patient in an ambulance, and while on the way to the hospital, it can be controlled by a doctor in a remote location. As there is ultrasound probe attached, this robot can be used to check for internal bleeding.”
To enable a physician at a remote location to operate the robot intuitively, it’s controlled using an iPhone, with the robot’s rotation and the ultrasound probe angle controlled by touch. |