Today, we are at a stage where robot-assisted surgeries are opted by the patients without any fear.

Time and again, we've seen how drastically have our lives changed with the advent of technology. One such remarkable innovation that has changed our lives for better has to be "robots". They are becoming prominent in possibly every field that one can think of. Hence, robots in the healthcare industry doesn't seem to surprise anyone. Over the years we've seen robots assisting the doctors in performing surgeries. Today, we are at a stage where robot-assisted surgeries are opted by the patients without any fear.

Robot-assisted surgeries has helped doctors in a variety of stages, right from identifying the complexities within the body to help them execute even the most complex and critical surgeries. Doctors, are a blessing without a doubt, but with robot assisting them in every possible aspect, the results delivered come out to be neat and evidently showcase the precision that goes behind. Had it not been for robots making their way into the healthcare industry, the kind of flexibility doctors enjoy wouldn't have been possible.

Gone are the days when a medical surgery was highly dependent on the opinion of doctors or surgeons. Today, we are living in the era that relies more on the opinion of the patient. This is one of those areas that has seen a paradigm shift in the medical industry. Earlier, a medical surgery was limited to the life of the patient and how would the patient recover. But today, there's more to it. We have reached a stage wherein what opinion does a patient hold is of utmost importance. Their expectations mainly include –

1. The time taken to recover from the surgery should be less

2. The cost borne by the patient while undergoing the surgery should be less

3. The surgery should be minimally invasive.

The shift from what earlier was important to doctors to what is now important to patients is worth mentioning.

Medical sector's bright future

Robotics has surely transformed the way we look at life. Healthcare industry has probably seen the best implementation of the same.

• Robots have made it possible to proceed with surgeries that are minimally invasive.

• They also ensure faster recovery of the patients.

• Infection during and after surgery is something that most patients are worried about. These technological buds ensure that there's little or o infection.

• The future of robotics in the medical field is bright for the fact that there are companies across the globe willing to develop robots that'd revolutionise surgeries.

• Efforts are being put up to install miniature sensors inside the robot that's further give information about the patient's body.

• There's absolutely nothing to worry as far as safety is concerned. This is because the companies plan to program the robot in such a way that there isn't any accidental movement.

• A full-fledged plan is being prepared to automate the robots using deep learning. This would eliminate the necessity of the robots being programmed by engineers.

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning in robots hold the potential to detect patterns in the surgical procedures.

What are challenges faced?

• The cost of equipment that goes behind the robot-assisted surgeries is high. However, with the advancement in technology, the future can see reduced costs.

• Doctors need to be trained as to how to operate the robots to be able to assist in the surgery.

Are there any regulations to adhere to?

Well, humans commit errors and that is a universal fact. But, what if surgical robots commit a mistake? Are they answerable to anybody in that case? Well, the fact that so far all the robotic devices have been put to use under the supervision of surgeons hasn't led to errors. What surgeons basically do is to program decisions into the robots based on certain calculations. These are then known as robotically-assisted surgical (RAS) devices.

So far, the world has seen these RAS devices being deployed to result in minimally invasive surgeries.

As of now, there isn't any clear framework laid to regulate these RAS devices. Most of the organizations classify them as medical devices and to get an approval, the manufacturers will have to throw light on the benefits of the technology that'd outweigh its risks.

Now that we're just a step away from entering into the world of autonomous robotic surgeries, the need for regulation is on priority. What everything boils down to is the fact that autonomic surgical robots are the future and that the regulators need to be ready.

Can robots replace doctors?

Without a doubt, robots will be the future of surgery. There would be some surgeries which the robots can perform all by themselves. But, there are some surgeries that require separation of tissues which cannot be relied on robots alone. All in all, surgical robots definitely hold the potential to change the surgical landscape in future but they cannot completely replace doctors.