Medical Robotics workshop - MRWS

While the field of medical robotics is still in its infancy and commercial applications are still limited, it is interesting to note that most of the clinical participants in the workshop do feel that robots will play a large role in the future of medicine, and that this role is still being defined. Therefore, there is an urgent need for prototype systems to investigate new clinical applications and for engineering/clinical partnerships to develop these devices. Commercialization is seen as being essential to advance the field, despite the difficulties of commercializing these systems. Since several medical robotics vendors have gone out of business, hospitals may be wary of purchasing these systems from small companies, and it may be necessary to involve the major medical manufacturers in this process. While there is much work to be done, all of the workshop participants expressed optimism regarding the future of medical robotics, and it was agreed that forums such as this workshop are useful to continue development of the field.