Gallery: From robo-pills to cyber-surgeons
Here are robots designed to care for patients rather than operate on them. The RP7, a remote presence robot that allows clinicians to communicate with patients and colleagues via a video link without actually having to be in the same location.
Patients can also connect to medical devices via the robot, such as electronic stethoscopes, ECG machines and ultrasound. Data gathered by the instruments can then be accessed by clinicians using a remote control station.
This is part of an exhibition on medical robots from London's Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, which chronicles the history of medical treatment.
This gallery was produced by Tim Ferguson of silicon.com.
Photo credit: InTouch Technologies
Once swallowed by a patient, the device is moved by remote control around the stomach and further down the digestive system using its small mechanical legs, which grip the side of the intestine walls.
It is hoped this kind of device will be more comfortable for a patient than the more traditional method of investigating their stomach - a fiber-optic endoscope - which has to be pushed into the body by a clinician.
The device was developed between 2003 and 2005 with the support of the European Commission.
Photo credit: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
The patient drinks half a litre of polyethylene glycol solution to expand their stomach then the robot is swallowed and made to swim around the stomach to investigate any problems via remote control. You can see the small fans that propel the robot on the left.
Photo credit: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
It was inspired by the inch worm and uses grippers and extenders to pull itself through the bowel. Again, this device is aimed at reducing patient discomfort compared to the standard procedure.
Photo credit: Era Endoscopy
The Ares is made up of 15 different sections to be swallowed by a patient. Once swallowed, the sections assemble themselves within the stomach and the complete device can then be used to carry out surgical procedures via remote control.
In this way, surgeons can avoid making external incisions in the body which helps minimise pain and shortens recovery time.
Photo credit: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
Photo credit: Riken Bio-Mimetic Control Research Center
It has a probe which locates a vein in the arm and a vacuum syringe which then taps the vein and draws up the blood. The device isn't commercially available.
Photo credit: The Royal College of Surgeons of England/Imperial College London
The surgeon controls the direction of the camera, attached to a fibre optic cable inside the body, with a device attached to their head - by turning right or left, the camera will move its direction accordingly.
The surgeon can also move the camera forwards or backwards progress with a foot pedal.
The FreeHand is commercially available.
Photo credit: Prosurgics Ltd
Photo credit: Imperial College London