In modern medicine, there are a number of treatments that are very uncomfortable and even painful for the patient – for example, the early detection of colorectal cancer. But with the help of highly sensitive robotics, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, researchers are making progress in many areas that should make treatment much easier to handle for patients.

Those who know this device probably know how uncomfortable a colonoscopy can be. In the future, this system aims to considerably simplify the often necessary procedure for the patient. A high-performance magnet on the state-of-the-art robotic arm pulls the head of the endoscope through the intestinal tract, significantly reducing pressure and pain, tremendously easing the procedure of early cancer detection. Controlled by a joystick – thanks to image recognition, the system can also find its own way through the body autonomously.
 
The English research project is just one of many innovations presented at the Medica in Dusseldorf, that highlight what modern robot technology is already capable of today. On the same basis, the French research team “I & Bot” is developing a massage robot that can carry out a personalized back massage tailored to the individual body shape. The intensity can be controlled by the patient himself. And right next to it, the same robotic arm ensures that when varicose veins are sclerosed, the laser always stays on track, even when the leg is moved.
 
The topic of artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming the focus of medicine. This catheter developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for example finds its own way through the blood vessels thanks to a neural network. Training for a new system of veins still takes many attempts – in the future however, the aim is for the AI to find the distance of up to 2 meters from the groin to the brain fast enough to be able to quickly help stroke patients.
 
These VR glasses by the startup company Rehago can be used in therapy after suffering from a stroke. With it, patients learn to control the paralyzed arm better again. Various games aim to encourage self-therapy. The often poor concentration ability is taken into consideration and the training success is recorded in the app. The future is already upon us at the world’s largest medical fair. This bandage for example can automatically make an emergency call if an elderly person falls and this smart bracelet measures the blood pressure constantly – without an annoying compressor and arm cuff, only with the help of light. Today’s technology promises to make life much easier for the patients of tomorrow.