Autonomous medical device

Autonomous medical devices, and specifically surgical robots, allow utilizing AI and precision robotics to enhance medical treatment and allow them to perform operations autonomously. By 2025, optic and orthopedic surgery applications are expected to be developed.

The first autonomous and smart medical device for use in the human body could come in the form of miniaturized robots. These are not physical machines, but structures made of materials that react to conditions within the body. One example of this type of application is the “Theragripper” by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The device latches onto intestinal mucosa and gradually releases drugs into the body. This is made possible by a heat-sensitive paraffin wax coating that keeps the Theragripper open. Once it has reached the temperature inside the body, the star-shaped microdevice closes autonomously. (Medica Magazine)