Robots are already widely used in many industries, for example, in speeding up production by automating repetitive processes. The development of robotics also brings many benefits to medicine – modern devices and robots are more and more used in medical care. How do medical robots affect the work of medical practitioners? We dive into this topic in an interview with Szymon Kostrzewski.

Szymon Kostrzewski works at the intersection of technology and medicine, developing solutions to support spinal treatment. The field he is involved in is extremely sensitive, as even small damage to the spine can lead to paralyzing the patient. In the interview, he stresses that developments in robotics can also 

allow, among other things, remote treatment, which can be used in less developed areas where access to medical centers is limited. When medical robots are properly prepared, complex surgeries or medical procedures can take place remotely, without the need for the specialist to travel. Robotics also creates the possibility of medical support during space expeditions.

Medical robots also support the surgeon’s work in achieving the best results. Their operation helps eliminate the effects of fatigue, hand shaking. They support young doctors in training, which usually takes at least several years. Some surgeries also require reaching hard-to-reach areas of the patient’s body, which without the use of robots could be invasive and therefore dangerous.

In orthopedics and neurosurgery, robots allow surgery to be carefully planned before proceeding. Based on CT or MRI images, a detailed surgical plan can be created, planning the placement of implants etc. Then, during the operation, the surgeon with the support of the medical robot implements the created plan. This is another example of how robots can facilitate the work of doctors, increasing patient safety and the potential of medicine.

Szymon Kostrzewski tells us how the use of robots allows protecting the patient, reducing the painfulness of surgery, but also its cost. The podcast touches on the topic of the use of artificial intelligence in medical robotics, a brief history of this field, but also the development path of our guest. The entire talk is available in Polish on the Coopernicus podcast. We encourage you to learn more about this interesting and promising field, where technology and medicine meet.