The robotic breast examiner
Okay, all the 12-year-olds must now leave the room so we can have a civilized discussion about this breast examining robot that allows doctors to do sophisticated diagnostics from remote locations. It's controlled by a haptic glove whose fingers are each connected to a motion-sensing device. The operator's hand movements are measured, translated by a computer and sent to the artificial hand in order to mimic the doctor's movements. The robotic arm can also perform ultrasound at the same time — an advantage over the usual process in which the ultrasound and exam are performed separately. Unfortunately, tele-operated robots tend to have a problem with delay, so it may take years of clinical trials to develop a system reliable enough to be commercially viable.
[Thanks, William]
