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http://time.com/4952886/china-world-first-dental-surgery-robot-implant/ (Note: Javascript may be required.)
In China, a robot dentist installed two dental implants for a woman last Saturday, in what could be the world's first fully automated dental implant surgery, reports the South China Morning Post. Human doctors supervised the whole procedure but did not actively intervene. The surgery, which took place in the city of Xi'an, was first reported by the state-run Science and Technology Daily.
According to the report, the robot followed a set of pre-programmed commands to install the dental implants. Experts said that the implants were fitted within a margin of error of 0.2-0.3 mm—matching the standards required for this type of procedure, reports the Post.
(Score: 3, Funny) by krishnoid on Tuesday September 26 2017, @06:18AM (6 children)
Is it safe?
(Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Tuesday September 26 2017, @06:31AM (1 child)
Yeap. Very safe.
None of the many supervising human doctors was injured during the procedure!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 26 2017, @09:08AM
Whoosh!
(Score: 5, Insightful) by anubi on Tuesday September 26 2017, @07:04AM (3 children)
Like LASIK, we will know after many people have done this, and the prediction_correction filters have run for a while.
My initial thoughts though, is that this technology is a game-changer.
Dental machine tools can be made to fit into things like human mouths without trying to insert the whole hand or see. And they can be properly sterilized.
Electronic servos are already far more precise than human musculature... can you track the optical line of dots on a DVD?
As far as I am concerned, this will replace manual operations much like my CAD machine replaced my old Bishop-Graphics PCB tapeouts.
It will not replace the dentist, just as the sewing machine did not replace the seamstress. Nor does a power-saw replace a carpenter. Someone who knows what they are up against will still have to supervise the machine, but this will be another tool, like the fancy new X-RAY imager my dentist recently installed, to make the whole operation a lot smoother for both dentist and patient.
Anyway, that's my two cent's worth of comment.
Here's to new useful technology!
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday September 26 2017, @10:24AM (2 children)
Yes, but will our medical insurance premiums go down?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by anubi on Tuesday September 26 2017, @11:02AM (1 child)
My guess it will come out kinda a wash.
The machine will likely set the dentist back over $250K.
However, it should cut the time required to do a surgery substantially.
But, the machine itself will take time to clean and prep. Not much, as the fittings should be removable for automated cleaning, just as the existing surgical tools he uses now are. You know, ultrasonic bath, disinfectant, possibly autoclaving. The prep would be mostly the dentist instructing the machine of special info unique to that patient.
The real winner here is the patient, as it will likely substantially reduce chair time. I do not know about you but every minute in the dentist's chair is agony for me.
The quicker and more accurate the surgery, the better. Not having to spend what seems like an eternity with my mouth wide open, trying not to sneeze, gag, or bite the dentist will make the dental visit much more pleasant for me. Because the tool can be designed for narrow oral clearances, I should be able to rest my jaw on it while its busy drilling, grinding, washing, vacuuming debris, whatever, while the dentist sits next to me, watching the procedure on his monitor to make sure things go to plan, making adjustments on the fly as his knowledge guides him. He should be right there so if things don't go to plan, such as broken bit or whatever, he would be able to make a judgement call right then and there as to how to proceed... kinda the same reason we need experienced pilots aboard passenger aircraft. Things do not always go to plan.
I see no real call to have dentists use their expertise doing manual surgery any more than me trying to do machining with a drill, saw, and file, when I have a CAM machine right there.
I am already wondering how to build the actuators... hydraulic? Can I use distilled water/glycerin as hydraulic fluid, venting into the mouth as a debris flushant, while simultaneously vacuuming the flushant and tool debris? Many tiny cameras, like those on cellphones, giving simultaneous stereoscopic views of what's going on. Tiny LED light sources. This whole thing sounds like an extremely interesting and worthwhile project to me.
I think this is a fine example of useful technology. Stuff like this is what we engineers should live for - as we master building stuff like this, all generations after us will benefit from our labor. Its stuff like this that strike me as a decent legacy to leave our children. Very few other human endeavors leave any lasting value. Stuff like this does.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 26 2017, @08:13PM
And reduce the number of mistakes. I don't mind sitting in the chair, but I've had dentists make (and sometimes conceal) mistakes on procedures far simpler than this. Same deal with knee replacement surgery. When it comes time to do it (probably within the next five years. Yes I'm old) I'm going to a surgeon that uses the robot.