In the past year alone, the advancements in robotic technology have simply been astounding. Science fiction is literally becoming reality before our very eyes, like robot doctors! Xiao Yi, one of the first robot doctors, officially passed China’s National Medical Licencing Examination with flying colors.
The robot scored 456 points out of a possible 600. In order to pass the exam, potential medical students must score at least 360 points; so, Xiao Yi scored 96 points over the passing amount. While taking the exam, the futuristic doctor was forced to show a “reasoning process” in order to prove that it truly understood versus reciting learned information. However, Xiao Yi is far from taking over the jobs of human doctors.
The robot still isn’t perfect, but it should be able to assist doctors in diagnosing patients and outpatient treatments. iFlyTek, the company behind Xiao Yi, plans to launch the robot next March. They are conducting a test at China’s Anhui Provincial Hospital to see how helpful Xiao Yi will be in a hospital setting. This work will include cancer research and general training. In China’s more rural areas, doctors are in short supply and this could be a possible solution in the future.
Researchers from a local university took 12 months to enter all of the medical information they could find. And as a result, the robot ended up scoring much higher than any of the researchers had expected. Liu Qingfeng, chairmen at iFlyTek, responded to one of many concerns, “It is not meant to replace doctors. Instead, it is to promote better people-machine cooperation to boost efficiency.”
One can only guess where the newest robotic development will come from, but we can guarantee that it will be exciting! How do you feel about the robotic doctors? What do you think we will see next? Let us know in the comments below!