ITGS Robotics- Health (Robotic Surgery)

Identify one input and one output device used in robotic surgery. (2 marks)
One input device would be a joystick or other device to control the actions of the robotic arms, and the output device would be the robotic arms that would allow you to actually operate on the patient.
Describe one capability and one limitation of the robot when used in surgery. (4 marks)
One capability of the robot would be the fact that it would be more accurate throughout the surgery, and the entire surgery would be more accurate, and the likely hood of a mistake being made would be much less than if a human was doing the surgery. This would lead to more surgeries being successes, and more patients recovering from more diseases. A limitation would be the fact that a malfunction could occur during the surgery, which could lead to a serious error that could end up killing the patient.
Discuss one economic concern, one reliability concern, and one other concern for patients undergoing robotic surgery. Evaluate the significance of these concerns. (10 marks)
One economic concern for the patient may be that robotic surgery would end up costing more money for the patient and they wouldn't be able to afford the surgery. This may be a significant concern, because if they can't afford the surgery, there's no way for them to get it. Their ability to pay determines if they even have the opportunity to get the surgery. A reliability concern would be the fact that the robot might malfunction and end up killing the patient, however this is extremely unlikely, and, as it turns out, it is more likely for a human surgeon to mess up and kill you rather than a robot malfunctioning and killing you. Therefore this particular concern is not as significant as the inability to pay for the surgery. A third concern could be related to the policies of the hospital in regard to the robotic surgeon, as there is the distinct possibility that the policies of the hospital may lead to errors in the programming of the robotic surgeon, or the maintaince of the robotic surgeon could be lax, and lead to parts of the robots that don't work. This is a significant concern, because the possibility of human failure is always present, and if the robot isn't properly maintained malfunctions and errors could rapidly develop, leading to the death of the patient.