Our society revolves around technology. We depend on the intelligence of technology for everything that we do, from our telephones keeping track of our daily schedule to the preciseness of robotics in the operating room. The media’s influence is what aids in the push for technology across most cultures. This new medical assistant has become popular across almost every nation. Not only is robotic surgery accepted, the idea of robots started long before Leonardo Da Vinci.
The word “robot” actually came from Karl Capek of Czech. The Japanese created the first mechanical toys back in the 1700s. The first mechanical robot was created by William Grey Walter of England in the early 1900s. The first modern robot was built in the 1960s by George Devol of Trenton, New Jersey. Finally the first robotic system was accepted by the FDA in the early 2000s, Da Vinci Surgery System. The idea of “Working smart, not hard”, has gone back a long way and continues to be a driving force today.
Leonardo Da Vinci came up with the idea of using robots to aid in the intricate procedures placed in the hands of a surgeon. Da Vinci invented the first robot in the operating room to reduce the risks associated with surgery and to minimize the cosmetic aftermath of having surgery. A person’s physical image means a lot in today’s society, therefore the idea of this surgical system caught the eyes of the media and the media has been able to “spread the word”.
The Hamilton Spectator newspaper published an article regarding a family who gave St. Joseph Hospital $5 million to purchase Da Vinci’s surgical system for patients to have the option of using for their procedures. Also, the Pueblo Chiefta published an article about the Robotic Surgery “making the cut” in Spain. In this news article, the media actual gives its readers an idea of how much a procedure using the Robotic System could cost them.