Medical Advances

Dr Chung robot nicknamed as Chungbot has made wonders on medical treatment for people who suffered severe burns in the US military hospital in Iraq.

With his proxy’s cameras zooming and wireless antennas beaming, Chung stood in a kitchen in Virginia and examined his patients from 1,500 miles away, providing a connection between doctor and patient even as Chung was on vacation.

Use of the robot began as an Army telemedicine pilot project several years ago. But its success in allowing Chung to check on patients while deployed and in training nurses far away means the Chungbot.
Using the robot allows Chung to examine wounds and interact with the patient, though someone else at the bedside takes vital signs and provides hands-on care at the doctor’s instruction.

One badly wounded soldier was brought here after Chung and others treated him in Iraq, and the staff in Baghdad wondered how he was doing. Instead of calling for an update from a doctor here, Chung was able to log in and roll the robot over to the patient with the Baghdad staff looking on.

The robot is controlled with a laptop and joystick and wirelessly transmits images and sound between doctor and patient. Two camera lenses and antennas sit above the screen. Sensors along the bottom keep Chung from running the robot into walls and warn him when someone is approaching it from behind.

There are about 250 similar robots are being used by civilian hospitals
The Chungbot recently began a rotation as a trainer, allowing deploying nurses from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio to get more specialized burn injury training at a patient’s bedside.

This is far more advanced as compared to normal telemedicine where consultations with specialists in those cases are often done over the phone, leaving the specialist without the ability to see the patient and injury — something that could change with this type of technology, he said.