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"But the problem with reincarnation is that it's hard to imagine what the storage medium for past lives would be. Not to mention the input-output device. I hesitate to rule it out completely, but I'd need pretty definite proof."
- Arthur C. Clarke
 |
| Autodoc | ||
| An automated physician, a fully autonomous surgical robot. |
The autodoc is an early example of a fully automated device that diagnosed, treated and tended a patient.
| But they got him into the autodoc anyway. It was a puppeteer-shaped coffin, form-fitted to Nessus himself, and bulky Puppeteer surgeons and mechanics must have intended that it should handle any conceivable
circumstance. But had they thought of decapitation?
They had. There were two heads in there, and two more with necks attached, and enough organs and body parts to make several complete puppeteers. Grown from Nessus himself, probably; the faces on the heads looked familiar. |
| From Ringworld,
by Larry Niven. Published by Ballantine in 1970 Additional resources -
|
The autodoc also appears in Madness Has Its Place, a 1990 story by Niven. This intriguing story explores the uses of different personalities in society. Are there occasions when you need people who are, well, unbalanced and not very social? Can an automated medical device provide what is needed to keep you balanced - and then unbalance you if needed?
"Run it in an autodoc. Ten personality choices. The chemical differences aren't big, but...infantry, which means killing on foot..."
Be sure to take a look at the entry for crechepod, from The Godmakers, by Frank Herbert.
For the most part, expert systems running on computers may make use of data from EEG or other monitors to provide a better visualization of the data for medical staff (see Penn Researchers Develop Smart Intensive Care Unit System Using Advanced Computer Intelligence. Only a few systems actually allow the hardware itself to make an intervention in the patient's care; for example, if a patient's vital signs merit it, additional drugs may be injected intravenously.
"Something is happening in Aristarchus, something that requires a medic."
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Ringworld
More Ideas
and Technology by Larry Niven
Tech news articles related to Ringworld
Tech news articles related to works by Larry Niven
Autodoc-related
news articles:
- ERNIE The Robot Pharmacist - More Accurate Than Humans
- LSTAT-lite Life Support For Trauma and Transport-lite Demoed
- Doctor-Bots Play 'Operation'
- Robot Surgeon - Autonomous Tabletop Robotic Surgery At Duke
- Shrapnel-Locating Autonomous Robot
- App Turns iPhone Into Autodoc (Almost)
- C-Path Computational Pathologist Better Than Doctors
- AI 'Doctor' System Better Than Human
| Bionic Hand Provides 'Lifelike' Sensations, Like Luke Skywalker's |
| Neural Implant To Treat Memory Loss |
| The Claustrum - The Brain's On Off Switch? |
| Beating Mini-Heart Grown In Lab |
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Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
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'They existed in the Life Bank, as did virtually every plant...'
'Its motion was so swift, complex, and perfect that at first I did not see it as a machine...'
'What better purifying machine is there than... grass?'
'The autonomic TV interviewer, camera in its hand, blocked his path.'
It's time we started to get rid of that distinction between metal and flesh, and IC and neuron, don't you think?
'...a wide sheet of clear material suddenly flared with light and swirling color.'
'Transmitting to its manipulator, far away now, all that it heard through its ear microphones...'
