• POLITICS
  • SCIENCE
    • Astronomy
    • Physics
    • Biology
    • Geology
    • Environment
    • Medicine and Health
    • Sociology
    • Psychology
  • MOVIES & TV SHOWS
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Virtual Reality
    • Bionics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Engineering
    • Robotics
    • Space Exploration
    • Transport
    • Industry and Service
  • GADGETS
    • Mobile Devices
    • Wearables
    • Consoles
    • Hi-Tech
  • GEEK CULTURE
    • Gaming
    • Comics
    • Thingamajigs
  • MUSIC
  • SOFTWARE
    • APPS
      • Android
      • iOS
      • Windows
  • HARDWARE
  • CARS
  • REVIEWS
  • Advertise
  • Geek Reply Jobs
  • Contact Us
Geek Reply
  • HOME
  • Editorials
  • Geek Squad
  • GeekReply Jobs
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Google+

  • LinkedIn

  • RSS

Medicine and Health

The Tasmanian Robotic Doctor Will See You Nao

The Tasmanian Robotic Doctor Will See You Nao
Aaron Greenbaum
Aaron Greenbaum
May 10, 2017

As robots become more advanced, they will fulfill more roles in society and adopt more jobs. However, many humans do not like the prospect of interacting with robots or other autonomous machines — I personally am guilty of this as I prefer to deposit my checks with a human teller rather than at an ATM. This resistance raises the question of how comfortable humans feel interacting with autonomous robots, and Tasmanian doctors took this question to its logical conclusion: would people want to talk with and be diagnosed by an autonomous robot doctor?

According to The Advocate, seventy staff members of the North West Regional Hospital in Tasmania, Australia, recently participated in a study involving SoftBank Robotic’s Nao robot. Dr. Balaji Bikshandi, the lead investigator, wanted to “find out if the robot can display compassion and empathy, and inspire trust in potential patients.”

The study was relatively straightforward: the robot, dubbed “Dr. Nao” by the hospital staff, asked participants medical questions and requested them to perform simple exercise tests. The research team recorded the staff members’ responses and reactions. According to ABC News (that’s the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, not the American Broadcasting Company) correspondent Carla Howarth, many people who participated responded positively to Dr. Nao, including intensive care nurse unit manager Trudy Segger.

“Even though he’s a robot, I’ve bonded with him,” explained Segger. “They could certainly help us and assist us. We can see lots of potential for use in the clinical setting.”

Howarth even managed to record several seconds of Dr. Nao in action and posted the video on Twitter:

How would you feel if this robot took the role of your health care professional? @abcnewsTas pic.twitter.com/czZ4ey7Air

— Carla Howarth (@CarlaHowarth) May 10, 2017

Dr. Bikshandi claims that Dr. Nao is “still in the research phase,” so patients at North West Regional Hospital shouldn’t expect to see the robotic physician for several years, assuming they ever will. According to consultant Robyn Westcombe, “There are lots of medical and ethical hoops to jump through before we can use it.”

Autonomous robot doctors such as Dr. Nao have a lot of potential to help hospitals, especially when they are swamped with work and human doctors/nurses can’t diagnose patients in a timely manner. While we are a long way off before robot doctors are autonomous enough to take our blood pressure or accurately diagnose a disease, Dr. Nao is a necessary step, as we need to know whether or not patients are even willing to let robots perform those routine procedures.

W3Schools
Related ItemsAustraliafeaturedNaorobot
Medicine and Health
May 10, 2017
Aaron Greenbaum
Aaron Greenbaum

All you have to do to get my attention is talk about video games, technology, anime, and/or Dungeons & Dragons - also people in spandex fighting rubber suited monsters.

Related ItemsAustraliafeaturedNaorobot

More in Medicine and Health

Top Rated Dentist Apps for 2018

John CusackOctober 11, 2018
Read More

You Will Be Surprised By These Recent Developments in Mattress Technology

John CusackSeptember 18, 2018
Read More
Nanomachines

Scientists Develop Nanomachines Capable of Killing Cancer Cells

Ule LopezNovember 21, 2017
Read More

Researchers Use Stem Cells to Help Rats with Paraplegia Walk Again

Aaron GreenbaumNovember 17, 2017
Read More
Cancer

A.I. Accurately Detected Cancer 86% of the Time.

Ule LopezOctober 30, 2017
Read More
11-Year-Old

11-Year-Old Scientist Creates Lead Detector for Water.

Ule LopezOctober 22, 2017
Read More
Life

Smartwatch has Saved a Man’s Life from Cardiac Arrest

Ule LopezOctober 22, 2017
Read More

Alex Jones’ Products Found to Contain Dangerous Amounts of Lead

Aaron GreenbaumOctober 19, 2017
Read More
Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice sales donated for World Mental Health Day

Tom HodsonOctober 10, 2017
Read More
Geek Reply

Greetings techies! We are Geek Reply, a website whose main goal is to bring you all the latest news and updates from within the industry and beyond. What can you expect to find here?

Professional journalism coupled with expository writing for the most part, but we also give our honest opinion or throw in a pinch of humor for good measure when we deem it necessary. Our team is comprised of enthusiasts from across a wide variety of fields ranging from smartphone junkies to camera nerds, and everything in between. But perhaps you were looking for your daily dose of science news or hoping to read about the latest apps. If that’s the case, don’t worry, you came to the right place.

GeekReply Secured with GeekReply Scured
Nintendo Switch GeekReply

Copyright © 2020 GeekReply - Webdesign & Marketing - iPublicitate

The Future of AI Video Analytics is NVIDIA Metropolis
Play From Work: Gadgets To Play With Your Dog Remotely