Could a Robotic Surgical Assistant Join the Ambulance Crew?

Surgeons at hospitals like the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore have an amazing ability to bring people with life-threatening injuries back from the edge. But some of the most dangerous moments occur before patients ever arrive, when uncontrolled internal bleeding can take a deadly toll.

While it’s impossible to send trauma surgeons to every accident or crime scene, a University of Maryland robotics researcher is working to extend trauma doctors’ range of care with an autonomous robotic diagnostic assistant.

Working with Shock Trauma doctors, Axel Krieger, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, hopes to one day equip every ambulance with a robotic surgical assistant able to use ultrasound to detect internal hemorrhages—something he believes would give many current trauma fatalities a better chance of survival.

Watch the video above to find out more.