Robots that do breasts check.

www.newscientist.com...

Life-saving breast examinations could soon be performed by a robotic hand that combines ultrasound with an artificial sense of touch.

The robotic breast examiner was devised by researchers at Michigan State University in the US. They say it will enable a medical specialist to examine women from a remote location, perhaps even from the other side of the world.

"Just because you’re located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan or even Botswana, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a sophisticated diagnostic or therapeutic procedure," says Carol Slomski, a surgeon at Michigan State University, who helped design the system.

The robot hand is remotely controlled by means of a haptic "glove", in which each finger is connected to a motion-sensing device. The operator's hand movements are then measured and sent via a computer to the artificial hand, which almost instantly mimics the operator's moves.

should we let machines do the work on the women, or let the "man's" job do dat.

just kiddin.

bet thats one happy robotic arm! hehe i wunder if it does clenched-fist-up-and-down motion when shes left the room......

Well, there goes all my hopes and dreams. Looks like I'm just going to have to go to gynecology...

Now I am all for women having there breasts examined, but I think that using a robot to perform this simple operation is just wrong on so many levels. I will unselfishly volunteer for this necessity. That’s just the kind and wonderful, selfless guy I am.
Thinking of others, always thinking of others

You'd think that for the cost of this technology, they would've figured out that a mammogram machine in Botswana (for example) would be much more cost effective in the long run, eh? Just one reason: if a lump is discovered, you still need a darn mammogram! Why not just buy the machine, and offer routine (yearly, thrice yearly, whatever - depending on your population demographic) exams?

And it'd be infinitely more adept at "seeing" possible tumours than a breast exam - even if such is performed by Bob Robot.

(am I the only female to have responded to this thread?!)

Okay as much as im enjoying the irony etc......

but on a serious note, this machine surely can't be as intricate or accurate as a doctors hands.

Originally posted by Shadow88
Okay as much as im enjoying the irony etc......

but on a serious note, this machine surely can't be as intricate or accurate as a doctors hands.

Honestly? It would probably be better; it's not governed by bias or "well, in the past..." type of experiences. It would simply detect any suspicious lump or tissue change. It would probably catch more than the doctors are currently able.

O' course there's a downside to this, too. Many, many women have "nodules", fibroids, fatty "lumps", and many other fun things in their breast tissue - a robot wouldn't be able to discern necessarily the 'normal' from the 'abnormal', and may cause untold panic and worry in certain women.

A mammogram is much, much easier to deal with - we need to start offering regular mammograms (free would be ideal - but "cheap" would be an improvement on the current costs in the US) to every woman over the age of 35, and to every woman under that age who comes from a higher risk group.

Ok, rant over

Tinkleflower, you answer like an expert. My daughter is a chief radiologist and among her specialties of MRI and CAT Scans is Mammography. She complains the same as you. She adds a little more to the picture (pardon the pun). She says a woman can pass with a good mammography exam from the latest x-ray machine and still develope a growth within six months or less.

I've asked her what's the answer? She says the best is regular check ups, mammography and plenty of self exams if there is a history. I personally wish someone could design an MRI or CAT Scan image that had the resolution to detect these anomalies prior to becoming a detectable lump. I've heard that the AMAS test is a good start but I don't know if there is enough evidience to back up the claim.

Why would any place need a robotic arm so they could be managed by a doctor elsewhere? Just buy a doctor instead. Seems like a toy for the rich.

I'm much more interested in the ability to build this sort of thing. To feel and differentiate between a lump and anything else (as tinkleflower rightly said) is just a good technological advancement. Innovation that simulates human activity is always useful, if only for applications elsewhere.

Now that they have a robotic breast checker I'll bet it won't be long 'till they come up with one that inserts anal probes.

[edit on 13-7-2005 by FLYIN HIGH]

Tsnot as fun as using yur hands tho is it? Maybe its best that people (aka me) checks all the boobies and ladybits from now on......for medical reasons obviously! LOL am just messin.......but not reali.......but tiz just a joke........only its not..........

PS. why would you want anal probes stuck anywhere y anything!?

[edit on 13-7-2005 by Shadow88]

Let's show a little maturity, okay people? The obvious jokes have all been made, thank you, now let's try to keep our signal-to-noise ration high.

Josekinuc - yup, I'm in agreement, completely!

I've been following the elevated AMAS level testing for a little while; if this can be tested more thoroughly, it'd serve as a great indicator (though it's obviously not going to replace mammography or BSEs anytime soon).

There's some nice info here

And another nice site here.

Oncolab seem to be doing their utmost to try and push it along, too.

I'm still on the lookout for clinical trials though - not having much luck so far.

It'd be a wonderful tool to be used in conjunction with regular BSEs (or BEs) and mammograms - one can only hope it's taken on board sooner rather than later!

Tinkleflower, thanks for the information. The good thing about AMAS, if it holds true, it should help improve carcegen detection. I understand that a value of 70 is considered good for the average person that is cancer free. Anything elevated over 130, it is a good time to diagnose where the body has an outbreak of cancer.

This could turn into a great screening tool for not only breast but ovarian, uterus, bladder, colon, prostate and etc... for both women and men respectively. The only downside so far is most labs are not setup to pull the blood and spin in a refrigerated centrifuge. If this isn't enough, the lab has to send it FEDEX to Boston on dry ice for the actual test to be run. If you run into any new information, please post it or U2U.

My wife is an OB-GYN RN. Quite a few years ago, she told our two daughters to get into the medical field where there are no computers. The oldest sits in front of a computer screen diagnosing all day and the other is a Director of Pharmacy for oncology at a hospital. She uses and relies on a computer as well. The OB-GYN now carries a notepad into the patient rooms with the new HIPPA rules they must follow.

Robots are in the operating room. As more time goes by, you will see robots and computers showing up in every aspect of medial technology. Just say AHH!!!

why was this my first thought
Bender Mamogram

[edit on 7/15/2005 by Jehosephat]

The link won't load. I think there were quoatation marks that should not have been there.

Try this link:
Bender Mamogram