7 incredible future technologies from the world of medicine.

Not so long ago, artificial intelligence and 3 D scanners seemed like a frame from a science fiction film, but today it is almost a familiar reality. What awaits us next and who will take the Hippocratic oath before saving human lives? In this article, we will talk about several modern inventions that have opened a new era in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases.

Scalpel robot

Not even the most highly qualified doctor is immune from error. After all, it is hardly possible for an ordinary person to stand at the operating table and perform jewelry work all day long. Therefore, today more and more attention is paid to the development of robotic surgery.

The most famous technology in this segment is the American da Vinci system. It allows the surgeon, seeing the operated area in a three-dimensional image, to control the instruments using special joysticks. In this case, an assistant is not required (he is also replaced by technology), and if the doctor's hand trembles , the command will be canceled.

The Italian robot ARES is also curious: it enters the patient's body, assembles into a whole system and independently performs the operation, which is controlled by the surgeon.

VR simulators

Now virtual reality is not only video games and entertainment, but also a great help for novice doctors. For example, the Neuro VR simulator helps young surgeons improve their professional skills as if they were a living patient, and broadcasting operations on the Internet using VR glasses allows you to see everything that happens on the operating table through the eyes of a doctor.

In addition, this technology is actively used as rehabilitation after strokes, when a person loses physical activity. The patient sees outstretched arms on the screen and can move them like his own thanks to special sensors.

Thought-guided prosthesis

American scientists from Johns Hopkins University went further and created the world's first neuroprosthesis connected with human brain impulses. In the future, this invention will help millions of people without arms and legs to live full lives.

Mechanical limbs are practically a copy of human ones, they are fixed on a corset, and control is carried out due to electronic impulses passing through the patient's nervous system.

Neuroprosthesis associated with the impulses of the human brain. Photo source: novate.ru

Superglue for wounds

Often during operations, incisions are difficult to suture and healing can take a long time. In the fall of 2017, Harvard scientists tested the unique MeTro glue, which tightens incisions and seams (even on the heart muscle) without any threads. It contains proteins that, when exposed to ultraviolet light, turn into a very dense material. Once injected into a wound, the glue clogs the wound and then dissolves, holding the torn tissue together in just 60 seconds.

The innovation has not yet been implemented in hospitals, but it will soon become a real sensation if it passes all the tests.

Grown teeth

Today, patients lose about 10-15% of fillings. Scientists from Harvard University and the University of Nottingham have found a way to solve this problem: to learn how to grow teeth in place of damaged or dropped out right in the gums. A synthetic biomaterial is injected into the canal and it stimulates the growth of stem cells in the tooth. Someday this technology should completely relieve mankind of the need to place fillings or implants.

Smart glasses for the blind

Guide dogs and walking sticks certainly help the visually impaired, but they still cannot replace seeing the world with their own eyes. For more than 10 years, eSight has been working on unique smart glasses that can restore vision to people suffering from all types of blindness.

The technology works in this way: a person puts on glasses and, using a hand-held control panel, a built-in camera, enlarges and pans the image. Powerful prisms and multiple sensors can magnify objects up to 24x and display them in high resolution on 2 OLED displays. Thanks to the use of liquid lenses, the camera's sensor focuses in less than 1 millisecond, which is almost equal to the capabilities of the human eye.

In addition, this device can be connected to a TV, the battery is designed for 6.5 hours of operation. However, it still costs sky - high - about $ 10,000. The company is currently improving its invention and promises that it will soon become more accessible to those in need around the world.

Artificial nose

Developed by scientists from Valencia, the Moosy 32 eNose is capable of diagnosing bowel disease and ulcerative colitis with an accuracy of 90%. The electronic organ literally "sniffs out" diseases and helps doctors make a diagnosis. He identifies metabolic products in the patient's analyzes and draws conclusions about the activity of the disease. The device has already been successfully tested with over 500 samples.

Similar inventions, which bring the sense of smell to a new level, are being developed in other countries. For example, scientists from Israel have created a device to detect lung, intestinal, breast and prostate cancer by breathing. Its nanosensors sprayed with gold particles detect the release of special chemical compounds that accompany the growth of cancer cells.

Of course, most of these technologies are at the stage of research and testing, but we can already say that they have great potential for the future of medicine.