VR-controlled robots are being designed to treat injured soldiers - Engadget

If you deliberation of robots successful the military, your caput whitethorn conjure dystopian images of science-fiction battlefields with AI-powered machines trading laser fire. But successful a overmuch much humane application, UK researchers are processing a perchance lifesaving aesculapian strategy equivalent to a VR triage video call.

University of Sheffield researchers are working connected a telepresence system to dainty subject unit during combat. The program is for offsite medics to don virtual world headsets and power a battlefield robot. The instrumentality tin instrumentality the patient's vitals with the aforesaid exertion utilized successful robotic surgery.

Currently, injured combatants often person to spot aesculapian technicians with constricted on-hand resources. These paramedics often bash their jobs astatine important idiosyncratic hazard (and, if contagious diseases and contamination are factors, a hazard to others arsenic well). If the diligent needs further care, moving them to a harmless determination with due resources could instrumentality hours oregon days.

The planned telepresence strategy would let aesculapian technicians to enactment offsite, utilizing the robot to stitchery information similar the patient's somesthesia oregon humor pressure. For example, the machines could instrumentality rima swabs and gully humor samples from the patient's arm. In addition, it could nonstop photos and videos of injuries to the offsite aesculapian workers, allowing them to measure and possibly adjacent dainty the diligent remotely.

Project co-lead Sanja Dogramadzi, a prof astatine the University of Sheffield's Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, sees the inaugural arsenic a lifesaving measure. "Developing a remotely-operated robotic strategy would importantly amended information by reducing the magnitude of information subject unit are exposed to connected the frontline. Our level uses the latest exertion and would integrate it successful a mode that hasn't been done before."