A robotic doctor is gearing up for action

'The robot at the remote site has different force, humidity and temperature sensors, all capturing information that a doctor would get when they are directly palpating (physically examining) a patient,' explains Professor Angelika Peer, a robotics researcher at the University of the West of England, UK. Prof. Peer is also the project coordinator of the EU-funded ReMeDi project, which is developing the robotic doctor to allow medical professionals to examine patients over huge distances. Through a specially designed surface mounted on a robotic arm, stiffness data of the patient's abdomen is displayed to the human, allowing the doctor to feel what the remote robot feels. This is made possible thanks to a tool called a haptic device, which has a soft surface reminiscent of skin that can recreate the sense of touch through force and changing its shape. During the examination, the doctor sits at a desk facing three screens, one showing the doctor's hand on the faraway patient and a second for teleconferencing with the patient, which will remain an essential part of the exchange.