Google to Pioneer Robotic Surgical Technology

Internet moguls Google have announced a partnership with the largest producers of healthcare products worldwide, Johnson & Johnson, to pioneer the use of exciting new robotic surgical aids. The technology is intended to assist surgeons in the practice of minimally-invasive surgery, thus increasing precision and reducing human error.

Google believes it has the necessary technological know-how, such as image analysis and mechanical vision, to improve current robotic tools and make surgeons’ lives a whole lot easier. The revelation comes just months after their announcement that the company would be exploring nanotechnology that is capable of detecting strokes, heart attacks and other ailments. For more information on that particular topic, see the article Would You Wear a Heart Attack Detector? Because Google Are Making One!

An Improvement on Current Technology

Google believe their expertise in artificial intelligence, such as that as has been incorporated into their self-driving cars, Google glasses and other parts of the mammoth enterprise, can improve upon current technologies. Since the turn of the millennium, tools such as the Da Vinci device, developed by Imperial College London, have been in general use in surgical operations.

Across the pond, back in 2012, a snake-like robot was announced that could reportedly perform heart surgery or other intricate operations. The device was developed by US-based innovator Howie Choset, who designed the diminutive mechanism to crawl inside a small incision and perform the necessary surgery.

In the same vein (excuse the pun), Google hopes to reduce trauma to the patient and increase control and precision via the use of complex imaging sensors. Such sensors could detect and thoroughly assess such important factors as blood vessel location and size, tumour margins and nerve cell makeup. In theory, this refined knowledge would make minimally-invasive surgeries far safer and almost entirely remove the risk of accident or mishap.

Google has clarified, however, that they will play no part in developing the controlling mechanisms for the robots in question. Instead, their focus will be the software and the experience behind the data collection and analysis.

Assisting not Replacing

It should be stressed that this sort of robotic assistance would be exactly that: assistance. It could offer surgeons more precise information – at exactly the precise moment they require it. Currently, surgeons are surrounded by mountains of monitors which relay all sorts of relevant data to them.

According to Andy Conrad, who is chief of the life sciences team at the global internet behemoths, this information could be better organised and catalogued, providing surgeons with exactly what they need exactly when they need it, thanks to Google. ““We look forward to exploring how smart software could help give surgeons the information they need at just the right time during an operation,” he explained.

Such technology, should it come to fruition, could be combined with a revolutionary new cooling technique from India, which has been utilised in more than 50 operations in the Asian country and offers significant advantages over traditional methods.