Longevity science

Presently, when an operation is going to be performed at a hospital, people first locate all the instruments that the surgeon will require, inspect them, arrange them on a tray, sterilize them, and then deliver them to the operating room. According to General Electric’s GE Global Research division, however, robots could do all of those things better. To that end, the group has recently partnered with GE Healthcare and the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, in a US$2.5 million two-year project to develop just such robots.

In a medical emergency, seconds count. But if the doctor needed is in another part of the hospital or even another part of town, then those seconds can stretch dangerously. If only the doctor could be in two places at once, then countless lives could be saved.

This is one of the most promising applications in the emerging field of telepresence robotics and RP-VITA (Remote Presence Virtual + Independent Telemedicine Assistant)

Cathy Hutchinson hasn’t moved her limbs of her own volition for 15 years, but by imagining she was using her own hand, she controlled a robotic arm to pick up a thermos of coffee and took a sip.

The technology is a neural interface system...

Autom, a robotic weight loss coach which began as a prototype at MIT, launches via an indiegogo campaign.

Hackers and investors welcome.

You probably didn't know it, but robots already work in pharmacies. Many hospitals have been using ROBOT-Rx to dispense medication doses.

With near-perfect accuracy, this robo-pharmacist stores, counts, dispenses, and keeps records. All the humans have to do is prescribe the medication.