Medical Robotics

Did you ever want to be a doctor when you grew up? Well our day campers in Biotech III the threequeal found out not only what it takes to be a doctor, but a glimpse of medicine in the future. Day four found us travelling to Greenville, North Carolina to East Carolina University. There we visited the medical school and medical center to see something, that it is probably safe to say none of us had seen before.
Our youth went to a classroom and about ten at a time had the chance to go place their hands on a state of the art two million dollar piece of equipment. The Da Vinci robot allows doctors to do heart surgery through a small slit, repairing segments of the heart. The overall experience means less time for the patient in the hospital, reduced chance of infection, and since the rib cage does not have to be cracked it means an easier recovery time for the patients with less medication. Our youth had the chance to practice "surgery" by using the robot on a model where they moved rubber bands within a realistic representation of a human chest. Some had difficulty maneuvering the robotic hands to pick up rubber bands and move them to different sections of the heart. Others not only were able to move but grab and place objects with one or both of the robotic arms. You might think this would be easy with all the practice our youth have on video games but this was very different. The Da Vinci works with the person at a remote station using two fingers (thumb and index) to control the motion and the pinching at the other end to grab objects. The controls are quite sensitive and our youth are used to making bigger gestures to get the job done on video games then are required for this medical technology. One youth after finishing his turn on the controls said he had never thought of medicine as something he could do, but that this was a path he might like to pursue.
While our youth were taking turns with the Da Vinci, the rest were watching a video of an actual heart surgery. they got to see how the Da Vinci works, that there is a camera that reflects what is in the chest cavity on a screen so the surgeon can see what he or she is doing with the robot serving as their arms, hands, and fingers. There were lots of questions and our youth were very inquisitive concerning the procedure and how things were done (including why it look like they were using a fishing hook to sew things together). Our host was most congenial as he explained the role of the robot and the Doctors and nurses. We talked about technology in medicine, how that could change the face of surgery and how we treat diseases in the future.
After a wonderful lunch we piled into our vehicles and headed to Wilson, North Carolina where we visited the Imagination Station. There are youth had a hands on science adventure with everything from state history, to reptiles, and even dental health. They had the opportunity to find out how fast they are compared to animals, make their body disappear, pump fluids just like our heart pumps blood and much more. It was bitter sweet as we loaded up and headed home but tomorrow we will get to do something they really love, talk. Then it will be a hands on lesson in centrifugal force, and chances are it will bowl them over.