Medical Robotics

Abstract

In 1990, robot systems for use in medicine were still the subject of research. Then, first research results were implemented in practice, and in 2000, several types of robot systems for various surgical disciplines were in clinical use. Other systems are in preparation. While some systems are applied nearly routinely, others are still in the phase of testing. Research is dedicated to solving a number of open problems and to further developing the systems, for instance, by combining robots with imaging methods or their use in special environments, e.g., in computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Other objectives are further miniaturization and simplification.