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ACADEMIC LESSON
They are developing tiny robots—“nanobots” less Prosthetic Limbs
than one-millionth of a meter in length—that would 11 Researchers are coming closer to achieving
travel inside veins, recognize cancer cells, and natural control and movement of artificial arms and
deliver drugs to a specific area. In another system, legs. Brain-machine interface (BMI) technologies
nanoparticles containing drugs are guided to their have made it possible for a patient to move a
target by ultrasonic waves. Other researchers prosthetic computer-controlled limb by neural
envision self-propelled nanobots with sensors and signals through use of an implant in the brain.
injectors that could destroy bacteria or repair cells.
Computer technology has enabled natural walking
9 Decades of research have focused on cancer and stair-climbing movement in artificial legs.
treatment. One new approach is immunotherapy Scientists are making progress on research to create
cancer vaccines that aim to use the body’s immune feeling in prosthetic hands through the use of
system—its natural germ-fighting defense—to sensors.
target and destroy cancer cells. New cancer- Telemedicine
fighting drugs continue to be developed. Drug
trials are now testing drug therapies that could 12 Telemedicine is the delivery of medical care
work against similar cancers in any part of the body, from a distance. It uses telecommunication and
not just a targeted area. information technology to connect medical staff
and patients who are in different locations for
Genetic Medicine
purposes such as remote monitoring of a patient’s
10 The science of genetic engineering has condition, interactive check-ups and consultations,
progressed rapidly in recent years. An organism’s and telenursing services. Remote surgery, or
genome can be manipulated by gene editing, telesurgery, is possible through the use of a robotic
which involves cutting natural DNA sequences surgical assistant. With this technology, the
and adding, removing, or altering DNA to achieve operating surgeon might even be located in another
a particular effect. It has been used in plants country!
and animals for many years for purposes such 13 In telepathology, laboratories can share images
as promoting resistance to disease or producing of tissue samples with specialists for diagnosis.
desirable features. Gene-editing technologies have Through teleradiology, specialists can get access to
improved, and genetic engineering in humans images such as X-rays and CT scans from a remote
is now under consideration. It could be used to location.
correct genetic mutations or defects that cause
certain diseases, or for purposes such as creating Robots in Health Care
genetically-altered immune cells that can be used to 14 Various types of robots are appearing in many
attack cancer. A debate is currently underway over areas of the medical field. Some are actively
the ethics of changing DNA in human embryos to involved in providing health care. Mobile medical
create “designer babies” that would have preferred robots move around a hospital floor and check on
characteristics. patients in their rooms. Their display screens allow
medical specialists to consult with patients. Robotic
surgical assistants are used for complex operations
requiring precision and control. They are remotely
operated at a workstation outside the operating
room. Rehabilitation robots can be programmed to
help a patient with physical therapy.
15 Other types of robots include: medical
transportation robots that move around the
hospital, delivering supplies, medications, and
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