You, robot?

While it is doubtful you could ever be replaced by a robot, as Jane Braithwaite shows, automation is playing an ever-increasing role in medical practice.

In 2011, IBM’s Watson computer won the game show Jeopardy and is now functioning as a diagnostic device for cancer patients. So what are the implications of automation in the medical world and how far could they reach?

Let’s take an objective look at automation and robots. We’ve already accepted extensive automation in our lives without necessarily having registered radical changes – self-service kiosks in supermarkets and petrol stations are now omnipresent,  albeit irritating, devices.