I’m also a keen observer of the world around me—especially when it involves my health.
For many healthcare professionals, I believe the recent challenges surrounding the industry have taken some of the enjoyment out of their work. Issues such as new and changing regulations, increased lawsuits, escalating costs, and barely manageable patient loads, among others, have all taken their toll on the doctors, nurses, and administrators who, I believe, entered the healthcare field to have a fulfilling, lifelong career serving people and helping them live better lives.
This situation presents a real issue for literally everyone fortunate enough to have access to modern healthcare. Population growth and aging populations in many countries around the world mean we need more healthcare professionals, not fewer. Happier, more productive doctors and nurses mean better care for their patients. And, people who dedicate years of their lives to practice medicine should have a satisfying work experience.
In the United States, demand for physicians will outpace supply by 130,000 by 2025 (Source: AAMC Center for Workforce Studies, 2011)
For healthcare professionals (and the rest of us), I have great news—we are at the cusp of a renaissance in healthcare. Technology—including the Internet of Everything (IoE), robotics, 3-D printing, wearable technology, cloud, mobility, and many others—promises to usher in this new era in healthcare. In short, the best is yet to come.
To make my point, here are a couple of examples that I believe will transform healthcare over the next 10 years. (For those of you attending the HIMSS13 conference March 3-7, I will be presenting several more examples in my keynote speech.) Read More »
Modern medicine has brought some amazing technological advances. But at the end of the day, the most powerful medical tool remains the old-fashioned one: expert clinicians with the knowledge to evaluate, monitor and care for patients.
The problem: how do you get medical expertise to all of the places it’s needed? One growing answer: Telemedicine.
I enjoy Halloween. I particularly enjoy passing out candy and treats to the children and being amused by their costumes. Some are very creative, and cute. A young girl no older than 3 years was dressed as a duck and instead of saying, “Trick or Treat” she just quacked. It was Hilarious!! So what does my Halloween experience this year have to do with manufacturing. Well, a young man came to my home dressed in a very elaborate and cleverly designed C-3PO costume. You know the clever robot in the Star Wars series that translated for R2D2.
I began to think about how robots in manufacturing are evolving and becoming more intuitive and cerebral, but an interesting phenomenon is also starting to evolve in the world of robotics. They’re becoming more emotional.
Say Hello to Mr. Baxter. Rethink Robotics has designed a friendly and compassionate robot with ‘common sense’. Baxter is a worker robot with a touchscreen face that’s as much about communicating its intent as giving humans something more to experience. It’s safe to work around, courteous and follows instructions very well. The ideal teenage son. Baxter also cost about $22,000. Less than a 1/3 of some college tuitions.
Can you envision yourself treating your fellow robot much like you treat your trusted Golden Retriever, Fido? Do you remember Rosie from the Jetsons and B9, the robot from the late 1960′s sitcom, Lost In Space (Boy am I dating myself)? These robots expressed emotions like love and fear, were treated like family and were trusted to help make critical decisions that effected the safety and well being of their owners.
Baxter is being touted as the catalyst to help restore US and European manufacturing prowess. Do you think Baxter robots will achieve this objective? I’m not sure, but I would like to know how President Obama and Mr. Romney plan to tax Mr. Baxter. I would hate for Baxter to become emotionally upset and stage a strike.
![HIMMScomp4[1]](http://blogs.cisco.com/wp-content/uploads/HIMMScomp41.jpg)
These robots expressed emotions like love and fear, were treated like family and were trusted to help make critical decisions that effected the safety and well being of their owners.