InTouch Health's RP-7 enables distance education for doctors

Thankfully, doctors aren't actually be instructed en masse how to do their work by robotic teachers, but that's not to say robots aren't helping to facilitate the learning process. Recently, surgeons in Argentina were guided through a laparoscopic gastric sleeve procedure by a colleague some 5,400 miles away thanks to the InTouch Health RP-7 Remote Presence Robot. The five-foot, five-inch robot reportedly "displays the doctor's face on a 15-inch screen and is guided by a joystick from a computerized ControlStation, emulating an on-site experience." It's even able to provide high quality, real-time audio / video with "complete mobility around the operating room." Best of all, the patient in question was actually able to return home shortly after the procedure was complete, but heaven forbid one of these things ever turning on us humans and taking on a personality of its own.

[Via Physorg]

[painty @ Oct 4th 2007 9:10PM]

that disembodied head is creepy

[HineyWipe @ Oct 4th 2007 9:14PM]

Add a plunger! EXTERMINATE!!!

[Twitchy @ Oct 4th 2007 9:32PM]

I was about to say that it looks like a happy Dalek.

[Veehlyckzh @ Oct 5th 2007 4:24AM]

My thoughts exactly!

[Harlo @ Oct 5th 2007 8:47AM]

It's for doctors.. I think it would be EXAMINATE!!

[Jesse Dyck @ Oct 5th 2007 10:58AM]

Glad to see someone added the Dr. Who pun, otherwise I'd have to do it.

[Reader @ Oct 4th 2007 10:55PM]

Resistance is futile.

[Fritz @ Oct 5th 2007 12:03AM]

This was on an episode of ER 2-3 years ago. looks like the same design.

[Helly @ Oct 17th 2007 1:27AM]

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