Who would you prefer for surgery… An advanced robot or qualified surgeon?

Da Vinci Surgical Systems recently released a video showing the proficiency of their latest technology – a robot that can perform surgery. The video showed a robot patching up a flesh wound in a grape using tiny stitches by tiny robotic arms. When you watch it, it’s really quite amazing. However it also represents where the world is heading and some people may find that a very scary place!

On the da Vinci website in the FAQ section, they say that while these robots need to be manually operated by a human to work, they’re looking to a future where they are totally autonomous.

Considering that the average doctor will go through about six years of full time study and a four year residency practicing and training, it’s a big leap of faith to put something as important as our health in the technology that powers robots.

So is it something that you’re comfortable with? There’s pros and cons to both types of medical care. With a human you have the ability to react to unforeseen circumstances with good judgement and actions can be changed with easy flexibility however humans are subject to error as each individual has their limitations. This said, a robot has extreme accuracy, is stable and untiring but is seriously expensive and doesn’t have the ability to adapt to unexpected situations and work without judgement.

It’s a difficult question and one that everyone will have a different position so, so today feel free to share yours! Would you prefer an advanced robot or qualified surgeon? Share your thoughts on the issue in the comments below… 

https://youtu.be/EOzGQMnRTNw